Living in Light of Two Ages
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Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 05:41PM 
The third lecture in my recent Academy series, "Eschatology and the Antichrist" has been posted on the Christ Reformed Church website. The lecture is entitled, "The Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet."
The lecture (real audio and MP3) can be found here: Click here: Christ Reformed Info - MP3's and Real Audio (of Academy Lectures)
Sunday, October 21, 2007 at 05:31PM 
Who Said That?
"Whilst Islam and Christianity are obviously different religions—and whilst there is no minimising some of their formal differences—it is clear that the Two Greatest Commandments are an area of common ground and a link between the Qur’an, the Torah and the New Testament. What prefaces the Two Commandments in the Torah and the New Testament, and what they arise out of, is the Unity of God—that there is only one God. For the Shema in the Torah, starts: (Deuteronomy 6:4) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Likewise, Jesus said: (Mark 12:29) `The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one”. Likewise,' God says in the Holy Qur’an: Say: He, God, is One. / God, the Self-Sufficient Besought of all. (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2). Thus the Unity of God, love of Him, and love of the neighbour form a common ground upon which Islam and Christianity (and Judaism) are founded."
Please, no google sreaches or cheating! Leave your guesses in the comments section below!
Kim Riddlebarger
Friday, October 19, 2007 at 10:45AM 
Rather than write my own post on the Yankees' failure to resign Joe Torre, here's a link to an essay with which I whole heartedly concur. Click here: SI.com - Writers - Jon Heyman: Despite fair offer, Torre knew it was time to go - Thursday October 18, 2007 9:03PM
I am an avid Civil War buff, so when Allen Guelzo (author of a great book on Lincoln, Redeemer President) offers his list of the five best books on the Civil War, you can bet I'll check it out. I guess I'll need to get out my credit card, since I don't own any of them! Click here: My Top 5 Books on the Civil War | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction
I was encouraged when I saw this header: Willow Creek Repents? (Click here: Willow Creek Repents...) But alas, it is not all good news. As Scott Clark points out, it is one thing to repent of what doesn't work, it is quite another to do what is biblical (Click here: http://www.oceansideurc.org/ - The Heidelblog (Scott Clark) - - Was the Program-Driven Church A Mistake?)
I'm not going to touch this one with a stick. Click here: Is this Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave? Vatican TV director says yes | the Daily Mail. Its been all over the net, but just look at the pictures and draw your own conclusions.
Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 09:35AM 
The First in a Series of Sermons on the Book of Joshua
When we last took a break from our on-going series “I will be your God and you will be my people,” we had concluded the Book of Deuteronomy. The people of God had spent forty years wandering throughout the inhospitable desert of the Sinai. After a generation passed, the Lord led them out of the wilderness, taking them far to the north, where they entered the plains of Moab, just to the east of the Dead Sea in what is now Jordan. As Israel camped at Moab, God prepared his people to enter that good land flowing with milk and honey, which they would receive as their inheritance. God renewed the covenant which he made with Israel at Mount Sinai–the Book of Deuteronomy. All that remained was for Israel to cross the Jordan River, defeat the people of Jericho and then take the land. But then circumstances intervened. Knowing that his time had come, Moses pronounced his final blessing upon the twelve tribes of Israel, named Joshua as his successor, and then climbed Mount Nebo where the Lord showed him the promised land–from Gilead (to the south) to Dan (in the north). Then Moses died and was buried by the Lord.
With the death of Moses, Israel faced a major dilemma. Moses was the only leader they had ever known. What would happen to them now? Who would intercede for the people before YHWH? Who would lead Israel into the land across the river, where the dreaded Canaanites lived in great numbers? What would become of the covenant promises that the Lord had made to his people some forty-years before? How would the Israelites conquer the fortified city of Jericho, which blocked their entrance into the promised land? Many–indeed most–of those who had left Egypt had already died in the desert, and a new generation had become prominent among Israel’s twelve tribes. Despite the hope they felt as they marched north out of the wilderness in order to possess the land, and despite the renewal of the covenant on the plains of Moab, at the very moment the people find themselves on the brink of the realization of all that God promised, Moses was dead. After forty years of wandering in the desert, there were more questions than answers. They were so near, yet still so far.
During this period in redemptive history, the people of Israel begin to forget all that God has done for them. New generations of Israelites find themselves attracted to, and then influenced by the paganism and false religion all around them. In this sense, the struggle faced by the Israelites upon entering the promised land is much like the struggle Christians face today. How do we keep focused upon the promises of God? How do we resist the pull to be like the pagans around us? As we will see, there is much in the books of Joshua and Judges which relates to our own situation today.
To read the rest of this sermon, click here
Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 08:23AM This week's Academy lecture (Friday, October 19) @ Christ Reformed Church is the last (part four) in our series, "Eschatology and the Antichrist." The lecture is entitled "A Problem for Preterists: The Date of the Book of Revelation."
The lecture beings @ 7:30 p.m., is free of charge, and is followed by a time for Q & A and refreshments.
FYI--Sorry about not having the MP3 of last week's lecture yet--just as soon as I get it, I will post it.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 10:10AM 
How much would you pay to see Joel Osteen speak in MSG (Madison Square Garden)?
Someone dropped $134.89 for 2 floor seats (near the front) on E-Bay to see Joel speak in the Big Apple. Joel doesn't ask for money on his broadcasts, but he must be raking it in when he takes the show on the road. One thing about Joel . . . when MSG sells out and tickets to see him are selling for that much on E-Bay, he's sure having his "best life now."
I wonder if his MSG appearance will include bench-pressing? He might even shoot a few hoops on the Knicks' home floor. But he sure won't waste the audience's time talking about sin and a suffering Savior.
Kim Riddlebarger
I had hoped to let this Osteen business go, but then I saw this on "A Little Leaven" (Click here: A Little Leaven )
Someone is actually selling an "I Watch Joel Osteen" lapel pin! (Click here: Joel Osteen) Please, will someone reading this buy one for Zrim!
OK, I promise, no more . . .
Monday, October 15, 2007 at 02:39PM 
It was great to see Michael on 60 Minutes! Just a couple of thoughts about the interview . . .
Out of nearly four hours of taping Mike got about 3 minutes of air-time. Too bad that so much of that was spent watching Mike climb the stairs of my beloved Alma Mater (Westminster Seminary California). I had hoped CBS would give Mike a chance to tell the audience about the true gospel, but then again we can't expect too much from CBS. At least they gave someone (like Mike) a chance to respond. What they did use from Mike was germane and to the point. Did anyone else notice that Bryon Pitts looked like he was gonna hurl at several points while interviewing Osteen? Obviously, he wasn't buying it.
The gospel always seems to lose out in heavily edited interviews like this, especially when the guy not preaching it can cry on command and seems so sincere and bent on being positive, even if its "not his ministry" to tell people the truth about the human condition and what Jesus has done to save us from our sins. If you are interested, there are some great resources dealing with Osteen's fluff "gospel" on the White Horse Inn webpage (Click here: osteen2).
On the lighter side, just so you know, Michael's already caught a fair bit of flack from his friends. As one noted Reformed theologian pointed out, "Osteen’s theology may indeed be popcorn theology, but it appears that he can bench press more than Horton can." Michael has already promised to spend more time in the gym and will challenge Osteen to a rematch. Maybe the only Reformed guy who can currently out-bench Osteen is James White.
I also wonder if Joel hasn't been chuggin' down a few cans of Pat Robertson's famous Diet Shake. Pat claims to leg press some 1000 lbs (if I recall). That Joel Osteen can actually bench press 300 lbs was the real surprise of the interview. Everything else was pretty much as I expected.
It is also no surprise that thousands of people will flock to an arena to be enthralled with a light show on the ceiling, a pop concert, and to hear a dynamic message about how they can reach their potential. Joel's very good at what he does, but it is an absolute shame that doesn't include preaching Christ and him crucified. That makes him an "evangelist" without an evangel. That Best Life Now drivel rings pretty hollow in light of eternity.
Monday, October 15, 2007 at 08:05AM Who Said That?
“I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.”
Please no google searches. Leave your guess in the comments section below.
If you want to see past "Who Said That?" entries, you can Click here: Riddleblog - The Latest Post
Kim Riddlebarger
He might be our commander in chief, but thank God he's not our theologian in chief! Christians worship the Triune God who has revealed himself in Christ, not the "universal God" invoked by politicians for political purposes.
Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 02:06PM 
Mike Horton is scheduled to appear on CBS's 60 Minutes this coming Sunday, October 14. 60 Minutes is doing an investigation of Joel Osteen and wanted Michael's take. For more info, Click here: News and Events.
Mike taped for nearly four hours. He was pleased with how it went. Now, we'll see of how much of this actually gets on the air.
Kim Riddlebarger
Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 08:14AM 
OK, all you cat lovers out there, here's a good case for the superiority of dogs. The stupid cat starts the fire, but the dog saves everyone's life . . .
"Thumper, a black Labrador retriever, is getting credit for saving a Greenville man when a fire swept through his home.
Roland Cote says his wife and their 7-year-old grandson were away when the blaze started early Sunday in a converted two-story garage. He says Thumper grabbed him by the arm to wake him, leaving just enough time for him to dial 911 before fleeing the fast-moving fire.
While the dog is the hero, a cat is the bad guy in this story.
Cote says the fire marshal investigator believes the blaze was started when Princess, the family cat, tipped over a kerosene lantern. Cote says he and his pets escaped safely, but he says Princess did get her tail singed by the flames."
(Click here: Dog saves family from fire blamed on cat - Yahoo! News)
This reinforces my theory that the common housecat (felis sylvestry postlapsis) is somehow the product of the fall. When a cat purrs, its really thinking "stupid human, my slave . . ."
