Tried With Fire

Last week, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. speak on apologetics to the Christopher Newport University InterVarsity Fellowship. Here is a summary of the talk. (This is to best of my note deciphering and recall.) Since the garden of Eden, there has been a war between Satan and God. The devil's attack began through his own rebellion and subsequent enlistment of the human race into his army. He deceived Adam and Eve into doubting God and His Word, an outright rejection of His rightful authority. But God made a declaration of war right back - the proto gospel where the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but He, in turn, would crush his head. Since that time, God has rescued men and women from Satan's army into His own, to fight in the battle until Jesus returns. But there is a war going on in the hearts of each side. On God's side, our new nature is at war with the old. On the devil's side, it is a war between the falle...

Session 5 - The True Scandal of the Evangelical Mind  R.C. Sproul, Jr. Text: 1 Cor 1:18-31. The gospel is what unites us: the incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, 2nd coming. This is our story, but to those outside, it is a scandal and foolishness.  We often think of them (non-believers) in the light of our story, but we don't consider what they think of us in the light of this story. We are considered blind, stupid, gullible, easily led, etc. 1. We are offended that they are offended by us. We complain about how the world treats us. We are insisting that Paul is wrong, not just Paul but the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because we think we should not be a scandal.  Therefore, we reshape ourselves and our story to remove the stumbling block to establish our credibility. i.e. Emergent/Pomo - It's just our story. Everyone has their own narrative. Seeker sensitive - Remove the sharp edges such as talking about sin, wrath, judgment. 2. We aren't reall...

Atheists Bemoan the Commercialization of Meaninglessness  at Tom in the Box. Absolutely hilarious. Why Lie to Your Kids About Santa? at the Cripplegate. 5 Thoughts on Christmas from Frank Turk. A repost worth reposting. Finally, R.C. Sproul, Jr.'s wife Denise died of leukemia. She leaves behind her husband and 8 children, ages 2-18. My friend, Teresa , posted this article by R.C. Jr. which was written earlier this month: "It is a good and proper thing that I should, and you as well if you are willing, pray that God would make Denise well, that He would allow us to grow old together. It is, however, a better thing to pray that I would be a faithful husband to my love, and a faithful father to the children He has blessed us with. It is less important that He believe me and my conviction, that the kingdom would be better with her here. It is more important that I believe Him and His promise that the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18) , and that He who h...