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"Amillennialism 101" -- Audio and On-Line Resources

 

Living in Light of Two Ages

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Entries by Kim Riddlebarger (3928)

Monday
Jan052009

More Great Calvin Resources

Given the upcoming celebration of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, a number of folks have compiled helpful lists of Calvin resources.  Here are a few:

Martin Downes lists a number of audio resources: Click here: Against Heresies: John Calvin (audio links)

Scott Clark offers an annotated (and very helpful) Calvin bibliography: Click here: Recommended Calvin-Related Titles « Heidelblog

Lets not forget the kids!  Simonetta Carr has written a wonderful biography of Calvin for young readers. Click here: Reformation Heritage Books

Monday
Jan052009

Soldiers and Segways Don't Mix

This picture has nothing whatsoever to do with Reformed theology and eschatology.  But it cracked me up.

These are Chinese security forces (apparently during the Olympics).  Somehow segways and automatic weapons don't seem to go together . . .  This has about the same effect as "soldiers" wearing the blue UN helmet.

I'll bet one of you can come up with a suitable caption or explanation.

Sunday
Jan042009

Who Said That?

"vaj jangta' joH'a', je ja'ta', “ ta'taH Job taHvIp joH'a' vaD pagh? ghajbe' SoH chenmoHta' ghaH, je Daj tuq, je Hoch vetlh ghaH ghajtaH, Daq Hoch retlh? SoH ghaj ghurtaH the vum vo' Daj ghopDu', je Daj ghaH Daq the puH. 'ach lan vo' lIj ghop DaH, je Hoch vetlh ghaH ghajtaH, je ghaH DIchDaq SoH Daq lIj qab.”

Have fun with his one!  Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please, no google searches or cheating.  The answer will be posted next week--just click on the "Who Said That?" icon to see past editions.

Sunday
Jan042009

"If We Walk in the Light" -- 1 John 1:5-2:2

Here's the link to this morning's sermon:

http://links.christreformed.org/realaudio/KR20090104-1John.mp3

Friday
Jan022009

Bible Controversies . . .

Many who speak out in opposition to homosexuality have quipped that the Genesis account mentions Adam and Eve, not Adam and "Steve."  Well, times they are a changin'.  According to the new "translation" from the "Gay" Old Testament, Genesis 1 mentions Eve and "Aida" inhabiting Eden.  Swell . . . Click here: Gay Bible angers Christians | World news | guardian.co.uk

And then there's the "Green Bible."  You guessed it--its made from "Recycled paper, using soy-based ink with a cotton/linen cover."  It also has "green-letter" verses highlighted so as to encourage the work of "healing and sustaining" the earth.  Not only is it a shame that legitimate discussion about environmental stewardship gets lost in the PC trendiness, but a Bible made like this one will probably last about a week.  Don't take it outside on a foggy or humid day!  It will disintigrate or grow mold (like a Chia Pet) before your very eyes. Click here: The Green Bible

Oh, the difficulties pastors and churches face these days . . .  Well, at least the secular humanists over at the city council approved the church's new heli-port.  The injustice of it all!  Click here: Church wins OK to create helistop | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

And I thought mosquitos of the Eastern Sierras were a problem.  I'll take the skeeters over the gators any time . . .  Click here: Campers restrain wild alligator | National Breaking News | News.com.au

Friday
Jan022009

Fix the BCS!

As if we needed more proof that we live in a fallen world, how on earth can the BCS title game not include USC? 

Pete Carroll's Trojans spanked a very good Penn State team from beginning to end.  Despite all the talk about the weakness of West Coast football, the Pac-Ten team won each one of their bowl games.  Oklahoma against Florida?  Give me a break!  It should be USC against the Gators, plain and simple!

Looks like more and more folks are getting onboard with the "BCS plus one" proposal.  All the major bowl games would be played again on New Years' Eve or Day--rather than scattering them all over the place.  These five bowl games (all the traditional ones) would feature the six major conference winners, plus four wildcard teams.  Then, the next week there would be a single game playoff between the two teams that had the highest computer rankings from the bowl games the week before.  Now that makes sense . . . 

But since this makes so much sense, it will probably never come to pass.  I'm certain that in order to be one of NCAA officials who decides such things, you must first have been a member of Congress.

Friday
Jan022009

Reading Programs for the New Year

Here's a great way to begin the new year--start an annual reading program.  There are a number of great ones to choose from. 

To commemorate the 500th Anniversary of Calvin's birth, Princeton Theological Seminary has posted a guide to reading through the Institutes in one year. Click here: http://www.ptsem.edu/news/Egreetings/test/institutes.pdf

For those of you who'd like to read through the Westminster Standards in one year, try this. Click here: Daily Westminster

Having made the switch from NIV to ESV, I've enjoyed using the ESV version of the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer.  But there are several very good one-year ESV reading plans. You can find them here: Click here: Devotions (ESV Bible Online)

Finally, for those of you who would like to read through the Greek New Testament in a year, here's Lee Iron's very helpful program: Click here: http://www.upper-register.com/papers/GNT_reading_program.pdf

Wednesday
Dec312008

2009 Is Upon Us!

Happy New Year!

May you and yours have a blessed, healthy, and prosperous 2009 (Lord willing).

As for me and my house, we'll usher in the new year with a few friends.

I'm actually taking New Year's Day off.  I want to watch USC/Penn State play in the Rose Bowl. That should be a good one.

January 1 also marks the debut of the MLB Network (most cable and satellite systems are carrying it). Their first classic game (tomorrow night) is the 1956 World Series game in which Don Larsen threw a perfect game. They are even supposed to include the original commercials. That ought to be a blast.  Click here: The LoHud Yankees Blog

In any case, I'll get back to blogging next year!

Wednesday
Dec312008

Broke and Vacant

I've noted many of the recent troubles of the Anglican/Episcopal church.  Now we read that the Church of England may be broke and vacant before we know it.

The Church of England recently invested some 200 million dollars in Al Gore's environmentally minded investment firm, Generation Investment Management.  It is one thing to make an environmental statement, it is another to risk the church's money in unproven, trendy technologies.  Click here: Religious Intelligence - News - Church of England puts its faith in Al Gore's investment arm

Furthermore, church attendance in UK Anglican churches is projected to fall by 90% by the year 2050!  90%!!!!  With attendance tanking, and money disappearing down Al Gore's "carbon credit" rat hole, that means many more properties will be available to serve as Mosques . . .  Click here: Church attendance 'to fall by 90%' | World news | The Observer

And then there is good ole Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who worries that Rick Warren prays to a God who forces "God's homosexual children to deny who they are, to deprive themselves of love and intimacy that is permitted every other one of God's children."  The lengths to which people (especially Episcopal Bishops) go to excuse and justify their sins simply amazes me.  Click here: 10 Minutes With...Gene Robinson

Tuesday
Dec302008

OK, So My Predictions for 2008 Were All Wrong . . . Does that Make Me a False Prophet?

Here were my 2008 predictions.

1). The Republicans will retain the White House. The reason is that poor Obama will be eaten alive by the Clinton machine during the primaries. By the time we get to the general election in November, Hillary will have become such a caustic and polarizing figure, she'll lose. People will vote for the Republican as a lesser of evils choice, there will be very low voter turn-out (people will be sick of it all), and no one will want the spectre of William Jefferson lurking around in Hillary's White House. The Republican nominee (Rudy or Romney) will pick a southern conservative (Thompson?-If you can wake him up long enough to get him to run), and Hillary will pick Bill Richardson to pull New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado out of the Republican camp. The wild cards here . . . Iran and terrorism, the economy, and third party-bids by Bloomberg or Paul.

OK, I got this dead wrong.  But how many of you would have guessed that Obama could have pulled this off?  And who would have predicted that Rudy would run the worst campaign in modern history?  Or that Huckabee would have knocked out Romney?  Remember, McCain was actually ahead until the economy tanked, and he flew back to DC to "reach across the isle" and endorse that wildly unpopular bailout.

2). The big evangelical blogger discussion by May 1 will be "can a Christian vote for a pro-choice (or nominally pro-life) Republican?" By election day, the debate will be over and it will be "ABC"--anybody but Clinton.

I did better on this one, as there was a great deal of discussion about abortion.  But I sure flubbed the details!

3). The Yankees will win the World Series. Yes, Boston has better pitching (although the Yankees have a better team on the field). The reason? The fiery new manager and the desire to win it all while the team plays its final year in Yankee Stadium will carry the day. Also, it is very tough emotionally to repeat (You Red Sox fans need to look at how fat and happy the Yanks have been from all those victories in 1996-2001, and how they have lacked the fire in their bellies ever since).

OK, this one came from my heart, not the head.  I always believe that the Yanks will win.  But who among you predicted that the Rays would be in the World Series?

4). The Federal Vision controversy will shift from a debate about its basic tenets to the church courts and fairness of the proceedings. The first defeat in a church court for any well-known FV advocate will send a bunch of folk running into the CREC. By the way, my prediction for 2010 is that once all of the FV advocates are together in the same church body, they'll turn on each other--that will be interesting to watch.

The jury is still out on this one . . .

5). I predict Mike Horton will publish two new books, both will be great!

At least I got this one right!  Although I must admit, I did have some advance information.

6). I'm also predicting that Ken Samples will say "umm . . ." in a lecture. That will be a first.

If he did, I didn't hear him do it.  In addition to being a brilliant thinker, Ken is a great lecturer.

It all goes to show, that we are creatures bound to time and space.  We don't know near as much as we think we do, and if it were not for my belief in a sovereign God who has foreordained the future, I might not be as confident in what the future holds, nor as free to show how little I know by making these "all in good fun" predictions.

Who knows, I might even try a few this year . . .