Living in Light of Two Ages
____________________________
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at 10:45AM 
CT asked Mike Horton and others to respond to the latest Pew poll which documents the decline of the Protestant majority in America.
Here is Michael's essay: Click Here
Monday, October 8, 2012 at 10:52AM 
Sunday Morning (10/14): I'll be covering the account of Jesus' first sign performed during the wedding at Cana. Our text is John 2:1-12.
Sunday Afternoon: I am leading our afternoon catechism service and we will be taking up Lord's Day 43, and the ninth commandment. Our afternoon service begins @ 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday Night Bible Study (10/10): We return to our series on the sacraments, and we will now take up a discussion of the Lord's Supper.
The Academy (10/12): We begin a four week discussion of two important books. The first book is Ross Douthat's Bad Religion (Click Here). The second is James Davison Hunter's To Change the World (Click Here). If you plan on attending, it would be a good idea to purchase these books in advance and begin reading them.
For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website: Christ Reformed Church
Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 04:13PM 
Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, the seventh in our series on the Gospel of John.
Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 04:06PM 
Whatever Happened to Bible Study
On this edition of White Horse Inn, the hosts begin a five-part series on discipleship. This particular program is inspired by a recent Vacation Bible School program at a Houston area megachurch that wowed thousands of kids with a week of entertaining skits and musicals rather than with any traditional forms of Bible study. But is this really the best way to master the message of this particular book? Are we really making lifelong disciples, or just amusing the sheep?
Saturday, October 6, 2012 at 09:21AM 
The Yankees are expected to win, period. Although they had the best record in the American league this season, they won their 95 games in a rather remarkable way.
Injures took a huge toll. Mariano Rivera--the best relief pitcher ever--went down with a freak knee injury early in the season. Set-up man Dave Robertson fell down a flight of stairs while packing for spring training and missed six weeks. Michael Pineda--the big off-season acquisition--had major shoulder surgery. Brett Gardner (the speedy outfielder, who may just be the best defensive outfielder in baseball according to some metrics), went down early on with a wrist injury and missed virtually the whole season. C.C. Sabbathia was on the DL twice. During the heat of the pennant race, A-Rod broke his hand, Teixeira suffered a calf injury, and 40-year old wonder Andy Pettitte was having a great season until he stopped a line drive with his foot--breaking a bone.
Two young pitchers (the crown jewels of the Yankee minor league system) were expected to have a huge impact late in the season. They didn't. Manny Banuelos had Tommy John surgery. Dellin Betances couldn't find the stike zone.
So, how did the Yankees win? With cast-offs--people like Freddy Garcia, Derek Lowe, Cody Eppley, Clay Rapada, Jayson Nix, Steve Pearce, and with smart bargain free-agent signings like Hiroki Kuroda, and with unheralded minor leaguers like David Phelps stepping up big time.
The Yanks have not been big-money players in the free agent market the last couple of years, and they don't sound like they plan to return any time soon. Instead, they were counting on their young pitchers to carry them while the bad contracts of A-Rod and Teixeira come off the books over the next few years.
But they won their division by signing players who had never been and will never be all-stars, but who stepped up, filled gaping holes in the line-up, and beating back Tampa and Baltimore. That is the Billy Beane playbook. That sounds a lot like moneyball to me. Not how people usually think of the Yankees.
Friday, October 5, 2012 at 11:40AM 
Our good friend and colleague, Dr. Brian Lee (the pastor of the "other" Christ Reformed Church in Washington DC), recently addressed the question of whether or not ministers should participate in a call by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to preach a politically-oriented sermon on Sunday, to defy the 1954 "Johnson Amendment" which prohibits such activity.
You can read Dr. Lee's thoughtful response here (Click Here)
Lee concludes with this gem:
The minister doesn't speak for himself; the title means "servant." Perhaps preachers should ask themselves, before they step up to the pulpit this Sunday, whether they'd feel comfortable reading on behalf of their boss the standard campaign disclosure when they're finished:
"I'm Jesus Christ, and I approve this message."
Friday, October 5, 2012 at 11:06AM 
Both TBN and Daystar have opened television studios (wannabe news bureaus) in Jerusalem. Paul and Matt Crouch along with Joseph Prince are shown broadcasting from TBN's newly purchased Jerusalem studio--with an impressive view of the Mount of Olives in the background.
Both studios are in camera range of the Mount of Olives because they hope to be ready to broadcast (with "live" coverage, of course) our Lord's second advent. It will probably come as no surprise that I remain quite unconvinced that this is what John meant when he wrote, "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen" (Revelation 1:7). The news story on the new TBN studio can be found here: LA Times story on TBN/Daystar studios
Ironies abound. Two "Christian" networks competing for the best "live" view of Jesus' return. My guess is that the camera crews and on-air reporters are not Christians, because they need to be "left behind" to run the cameras and provide the on-air live commentary.
Even better, to establish their new studio, TBN purchased the building which houses the LA Times Jerusalem bureau! The Times has long been one of scandal-ridden TBN's biggest critics (although the OC Register has been even more critical of recent doings at TBN than the Times-- Infighting at TBN). Now the Times has to cut Paul and Jan a regular rent check!
Oh the ironies . . .
Monday, October 1, 2012 at 09:45AM 
Sunday Morning (10/7): My text this Sunday will be John 1:35-51. We'll be covering Jesus' call of his first disciples.
Sunday Afternoon: I am leading our afternoon catechism service and we will be taking up Lord's Day 42, and the eighth commandment. Our afternoon service begins @ 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday Night Bible Study (10/3): We return to our series on the sacraments, and we will now take up a discussion of the Lord's Supper.
The Academy (10/5): We begin a four week discussion of two important books. The first book is Ross Douthat's Bad Religion (Click Here). The second is James Davison Hunter's To Change the World (Click Here). If you plan on attending, it would be a good idea to purchase these books in advance and begin reading them.
For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website: Christ Reformed Church
