Tried With Fire

So I started reading Pentecostal Outpurings: Revival and the Reformed Tradition for an upcoming review.  Before anyone starts wondering (or freaking out), look at the names of the editors. Also the publisher is Reformation Heritage Books, so "Pentecostal" is in terms of Acts 2 not Pentecostalism . On skimming the book, the historical accounts in the British Isles and the United States bear absolutely no resemblance to our post Charles Finney notions of revival. I would describe what passes for a modern "revival" as an emotionally manipulative experience that promotes a genie-in-the-bottle "god" who grants our every wish and whim if we use the right incantation. There is no reverence. There is no repentance. It is marked by hoopla and a carnival-like atmosphere. There is a certain level of arrogance, too, where we almost demand the Holy Spirit act on our behalf and put His stamp of approval on human effort that misrepresents God. And don't forget ...

 Here are links to the talks from the final day of the Ligonier conference: Session 11 : Ignorance is not bliss  Robert Godfrey Text: Psalm 49.  Dr. Godfrey gave an overview of the decline of Christian thought and the consequences of it not being taken seriously.  Christians throughout history have been maligned for their deeds, i..e the crusades. But the death toll from the ideologies that have rejected God is far worse. What vision of the life and the life to come should Christians hold up? How do we engage ourselves in this world for the cause of Christ? Dr. Godfrey then used Abraham Kuyper as an example of someone who was actively engaged in bringing Christ to bear in the time and place where he lived. We are responsible for the sphere in which we find ourselves, but we are responsible and accountable to Him.  If we love God and love our neighbor, we will offer an alternative to the shepherds of death - the Good Shepherd.  Ignorance is not bliss...

(FYI: You can watch the messages on the Ligonier site for free, which is far better than reading my posts.) Break out session: The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon  Steven Lawson (If you love Spurgeon, love the gospel, and love the doctrines of grace, please watch this. It will be worth every minute of your time. My notes are sparse because I was listening rather than writing.) Charles Spurgeon had the depth of Calvinism and the breadth of evangelicalism. If you only have Calvinism, you can get stoic eggheads staring at their navels. If you only have evangelicalism, you can get  a manipulative gospel. Spurgeon combined both. He was born June 19, 1834 and was raised in a Christian home. He was converted at age 15 and started preaching at age 16. He was called to pastor the New Park St. Chapel at 19. Within a year, it was standing room only.  By age 20, Spurgeon preached at Exeter hall to 5000. He became pastor of the Metropolitan at age 26, which seated 6000. He ...