An Introduction to Covenant Theology

This will be a great resource!

Here's my endorsement:

"People often ask me for a basic or introductory book on covenant theology. Now we've got one--Sacred Bond. Brown and Keele explain covenant theology in basic and readable terms. Better yet, they do so without succumbing to the tendency to talk down to the reader or make the complicated too simplistic--a common problem with introductory texts. This book does many things well, but perhaps the most important thing it does is that it will help people to better understand their Bibles. That, it seems to me, is what makes this book so valuable. And that is why you should buy it, read it, and digest it. To understand covenant theology is to understand the Bible." ---Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, pastor of Christ Reformed Church (URCNA) in Anaheim, CA, and author of A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times

You can order it here:  Click Here 

Horton on Christianity and Islam

Mike Horton was on "Issues, Etc.," today, discussing Islam--the subject of the latest issue of Modern Reformation.

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This Week's White Horse Inn

The Narcissism Epidemic

Many churches in our day offer entertaining music, fluffy sermons, and demand nothing. In short, they give people what they want. But what if “what they want” is informed by a culture of narcissism? On this edition of White Horse Inn, Michael Horton talks with psychology writer Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me and coauthor of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (originally aired Aug 2, 2009).

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Now, I Have "Issues, Etc."

I will be Todd Wilken's guest on today's program.  I'm on at 2:00 PST to discuss Todd's recent interview with Dr. Tom Ice (on pretribulationism).  You can listen live here (Click Here), and I will post the link to the podcast when it is available.

Update on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 03:59PM by Kim Riddlebarger

Here's the link to the podcast of today's discussion:  Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Scatterbrains

In his book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, Nicolas Carr writes, “When we go online we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking and superficial learning. The net seizes our attention, only to scatter it. We become mindless consumers of data.” On this edition of the program, the hosts discuss this disturbing trend as it relates to our understanding of the faith. How can we become true disciples if we are all becoming superficial learners? How are we to be people of the Book in the age of Google?

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Back to Sea in 2013

Well, just got the confirmation that we are doing another Conference at Sea--this time to the Mexican Riviera!

Here's the link to the whole scoop.  Click Here

We had a blast last time, so consider joining us this time!

Rome Sweet Home? Horton on Why Protestants Are Drawn to Rome

Michael Horton is beginning a series on why Protestants find themselves attracted to Rome.

You can find the first installment here:  Click Here

Update on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 12:43PM by Kim Riddlebarger

Here's the second installment:  Click Here

Update on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 10:33AM by Kim Riddlebarger

Here's the third installment here:  Click Here

Samples Has "Issues" Again

Ken Samples has been discussing his new book 7 Truths That Changed the World (Baker, 2012) on Issues, Etc., with Todd Wilken.

Seven Truths that Changed the World:  The Christian World View (part 3):  Click Here

Seven Truths that Changed the World:  The Christian World View (part 2):  Click Here

Seven Truths that Changed the World:  The Christian World View (part 1):  Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Antinomianism (part 2)

The problem of antinomianism is not a result of taking the gospel too far, but of not taking it far enough. After treating the subject of justification, Paul anticipates the question, “Shall we then sin so that grace may abound?” His answer: “No—may it never be!” How, then, do we make those necessary strides in holiness? By adding a dose of fear or by being exposed to the wideness of the gospel? Those who are united to Christ are not only justified but are renewed and transformed. Unfortunately, many people throughout history have been falsely charged with advocating antinomianism simply for preaching the gospel of free justification and imputed righteousness.

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Antinomianism (part 1)

There is growing interest in the pure unadulterated gospel today in evangelical circles. But with all this talk about grace, are we facing a new danger of antinomianism? Maybe we’ve taken the gospel for granted, but are we now overreacting by taking holiness for grnted? At what point should a person be considered either a legalist on one side or an antinomian on the other? The hosts will take up these questions and more on this edition of White Horse Inn.

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The Genes Tell the Story

All along I thought I was a German.

A while back I decided to take a y-DNA test to see if I could figure out my European ancestry.  I know who my first ancestor in America was, Christian Redelsberger, and that he arrived in Philadelphia in September of 1733.  I also knew that Christian left Rotterdam by ship earlier that summer.  The trail goes cold at the dock.

As for where Christian was before that, I had no clue.  I had a few guesses, but nothing concrete.  That is, until I took the y-DNA test, and the results came back on Monday.  Now I know.  My guess was right.

I got a definitive y-DNA hit to someone living in Europe with whom I share a common male ancestor 12-14 generations ago.  This man contributed his sample a few years ago, and even better, has traced his family back to a Cunradt Rotlisperger, who lived in the Canton of Bern in 1540.

Now, that doesn't tell me when or how Christian's family left Bern, but we do know that a number of the Rotlispergers were Anabaptists and left Switzerland in the early 1600's and settled along the Rhine (in the Alsace), and even perhaps in the Province of Limburg (along the Meuse).  Some of these folk were also Reformed.  Somewhere among them are my ancestors.

So, I'm not a German.   I am Swiss.  The genes prove it!