Earlier this year I had to go to New York on business. One of the best bits was meeting three bloggers (one of whom was travelling to America on business from Malaysia.) Happy Husband, vessel of honor and Messy Christian were the three bloggers. Happy husband recently spoke about how greatful he is for friends he has made online. I couldnt agree more. Now, who among you lives in or near New Orleans so I can meet up with you... Read more
This holiday season, what are you thankful for? Are you thankful that you are alive ? That you live in a free democratic nation? That the soil of your nation hasn’t known war in your lifetime? That you have work? A family? Or maybe you are thankful for blogging and the outlet it gives you for those values of freedom and self-expression that we all too often take for granted. I know for me the interactions I have enjoyed with... Read more
JOLLYBLOGGER has now posted on Unconditional Election, which he posted after my own post on the same subject. As usual he does a great job- a much better one than I- but as is my want I will once again be slightly nit-picking. This is not so much because I think he and I really differ on this, but rather to make the point clearer for some of our readers. I was a little surprised by the quote that he... Read more
I hadnt realised just how much discussion around the blogosphere has been generated on the “Free will” issue. The view from the pew explains and gives theological names to the different opinions on free will. The position he describes that is closest to my own he calls compatibilistic free will.. On the other hand, prosthesis feels as I do that the term “free will” is unhelpful since “it doesn’t have a clear enough meaning and since, in a sense, it... Read more
I hope David will forgive me but I am going to be very naughty and jump ahead of him on my uninvited tagging allong on his TULIP series. I will not do as good a job of explaining this as he will, but we do seem to spark off each other quite well. Consider this a primer for the masterly post he will no doubt put up fairly soon. I have been speaking quite a lot about “free will” lately... Read more
UPDATE 2014 Almost ten years on from this controversy, Steve Chalke’s Oasis was ejected from the Evangelical Alliance. UPDATE November 2008– Steve Chalke has expressed his views more fully in a chapter in The Atonement Debate, and I have posted a response to this. I felt like a lonely figure back in 2004 with my strong criticism of Steve Chalke’s views on the atonement. I argued that his words were close to blasphemy at the time. John Piper would subsequently... Read more
Nominations are open for the 2004 Weblog Awards Read more
Perhaps those accusations about his military record during the campaign hurt more than Bush let on. This was maybe a chance to show that he had courage. It may have been slightly silly also, but does make a good story- the leader of the free world rescues his bodyguard! Yahoo! has pictures. Read more
Further to my previous posts on free will, I have been reminded of this passage in the bible. It concerns me that some Christians almost seem to dethrone God and enthrone man by their stress on God’s inability to know the future or to act as he chooses. This passage reminds us just who is boss. I know it poses all kinds of pastoral questions, but to me knowing God is really in charge is a cause for great comfort.... Read more
Perhaps I overstated slightly it in my previous post on this subject when I said there was no such thing as free will. But in struggling to find words to express what I am trying to say, as ever the theologians help, so here goes with some quotes which might clarify my position. R.C.Sproul said “God is free. I am free. God is more free than I am. If my freedom runs up against God’s freedom, I lose. His freedom... Read more
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