"In the Twinkling of an Eye" -- 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Here's the audio from Sunday's sermon: 

Click here

This Week's White Horse Inn

Textual Narcissism

According to Michael Horton, an alternative title for this broadcast could be, “You’re so vain, you probably think this psalm is about you.” On this special program recorded live at the Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis, the hosts discuss the predominance of me-centered Bible interpretation. Featuring numerous readings from best-selling evangelical books and devotional guides, the hosts argue that most Christians today are not engaging in proper biblical exegesis, but rather are reading themselves and their own stories into the text of Scripture. Sitting in for Ken Jones for this program is Steven Nichols, author of Ancient Word, Changing Worlds and Jesus: Made in America.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/

Much for Which to Be Thankful!

Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy, and blessed Thanksgiving!

Here's the Prayer for Thanksgiving (approved for use in the forthcoming URCNA Hymnal):

Our Sovereign God, who created all things for your pleasure and who gives to all life, breath, and every good thing, we praise you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life. For rain and sunshine, in abundance and in lack, we acknowledge that our times are in your hands. You supply all of your creatures with your good gifts: the just and the unjust alike. Nevertheless, we especially give you praise for the surpassing greatness of your saving grace that you have shown to us in Christ Jesus our Savior. For our election in him before the foundation of the world; for our redemption by him in his life, death, and resurrection; for our effectual calling, justification, sanctification, and all of the blessings of our union with him, we give you our heartfelt thanks. And we look with great anticipation toward that day when you will raise us to life everlasting, glorified and confirmed in righteousness, so that we may sing your praises without the defilement of our present weaknesses, distractions, and sins. As you have served us with these gifts, we ask that you would give us grateful hearts so that through us you may serve our neighbors. In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.

If you are interested, you are invited to join us for Thanksgiving services (Thursday @ 10:00 a.m.) at Christ Reformed (Thanksgiving Services)

Forty-Seven Years Ago Today (Repost)

Little did he know that seconds later he would be entering eternity.

Forty-seven years ago today, JFK was assassinated in Dallas by a lone gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald.   Sorry, I don't buy the conspiracy theory nonsense (Click here: Riddleblog - The Latest Post - Oswald Did It, Acting Alone . ..).

I'll never forget it. This was one of the most formative events of my childhood. I was at school (it was a Friday morning) and our principal rushed into the classroom, whispered something to the teacher, who then visibly gasped while fighting back tears. That's something an elementary-age school kid never forgets.

Once the clunky old TV monitor was set-up in front of the classroom, we watched the "live" news on NBC.  In those days, "live news" amounted to all the network anchors chain-smoking on camera while they "reported" the latest news coming in by telephone from reporters in the field.  There were no satellite hook-ups, and no real "live" news coverage except that reported via telephone.  News stories, like this one, were shot on film, taken to the nearest TV station and then broadcast.  When it became clear that this was a national tragedy, and there were fears that this may have been some sort of first strike by the USSR (or even Cuba), we were all sent home.

My family were conservative, Orange County republicans, and staunch evangelical Protestants. My dad (who had been an FBI agent during WWII) disliked JFK immensely. JFK was a papist, his father (Joe Kennedy) "was a crook," and JFK was getting us into a war (the first American "advisers" were on their way to Vietnam--including one of my dad's best friends who had been in the OSS and was in this new organization called the CIA). 

But that Friday evening, November 22, 1963, my dad was grief stricken. "JFK was our president," he said.  "This was an attack upon America."  I'll never forget it.

In a great irony, JFK, C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley, all died the same day--Friday, November 22, 1963.

Audio from Friday Night's Academy

Here's the audio from Friday's Academy lecture on Revelation 20:1-10 (part two).

Click here

This concludes the series "Amillennialism 101"

"For He Must Reign" -- 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon:

Click here

This Week's White Horse Inn

The Sufficiency of Scripture

According to sixteenth-century Roman Catholics, the Bible was a dark and obscure book that required an infallible interpreter. Given many of the abuses and interpretive mistakes made by Rome, the Protestants were unconvinced and began to argue for sola scriptura, that the Scriptures themselves were clear on the central points of law and gospel. But what are the implications of this view? Does it mean that each of us has the right to private interpretation? What about the role of creeds and confessions? that’s what’s on tap this week at the White Horse Inn.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/



Speaking of Amillennialism -- The "Christ the Center" Interview

I was privileged to be a recent guest on "Christ the Center" hosted by Camden Bucey, Nick Batzig, and Jeffrey Waddington.  We discussed amillennial eschatology.

The discussion is more nuanced than most, and addresses some of the "in-house" issues regarding amillennialism and the Reformed tradition.  I enjoyed it greatly and think you might as well.

You can find the interview here:  Christ the Center Interview

The Final Session of "Amillennialism 101" Tonight!

Lecture Title:  "Revelation 20:1-10 -- Part Two"

When:  Friday evening, November 19

Lecture Contents:  This passage contains John's discussion of the thousand years, the binding of Satan, the hope of the martyrs, the final apostasy and the return of Christ

Instructor:  Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Textbooks:  A Case for Amillennialism (Baker 2003), The Man of Sin (Baker, 2006)

About the Academy:  The Academy meets at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim.  The lectures begin at 7:30 p.m., are free of charge, and are followed by a time for questions and answers, as well as a time for fellowship and refreshments.

For more information, click here

"Justified" A New Book from Modern Reformation

Here's the TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Engaging N. T. Wright and John Piper
by Michael S. Horton

2. Confusion about the Law in Paul
by T. David Gordon

3. Does Faith Mean Faithfulness?
by Simon Gathercole

4. The Nature of Justifying Faith
by David VanDrunen

5. An American Tragedy: Jonathan Edwards on Justification
by George Hunsinger

6. Not by Faith Alone: The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Justification
An Interview with Robert Sungenis

7. What "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" Ignores
by R. C. Sproul

8. Ten Propositions on Faith and Salvation
Edited by Michael S. Horton

9. The Doctrine of Justification
by J. A. O. Preus III

10. A More Perfect Union? Justification and Union with Christ
by John V. Fesko

11. Christ at the Center: The Legacy of the Reformed Tradition
by Dennis Tamburello

12. The Discomfort of the Justified Life
by Jerry Bridges

13. Holiness: God's Work or Ours?
by Harold L. Senkbeil

14. Conclusion-Does Justification Still Matter?
by Michael S. Horton

To order, Click here 

Here's a review of Mike's presentation on justification given at ETS (on Wednesday).  Mike responds to both N. T. Wright and John Piper.  Horton at ETS