This Week in Calvinism - April 29, 2011

• Adrian Warnock vs. Rob Bell.
  
  
• Triablogue responds to Jerry Walls's argument against Calvinism.
  
  
• Calvinism is not merely a soteriology.
  
  
• The Seeking Disciple on when Arminians should team up with Calvinists.
  
  
• A "Calvinist universalist"?
  
  
• Phil Johnson reviews From the Finger of God: The Biblical and Theological Basis for the Threefold Division of the Law, by Philip S. Ross.
  
  
• The Desiring God 2011 Regional Conference begins today.

Free Book: The Passion of Jesus Christ

In this book John Piper presents fifty reasons why Jesus came to die on a cross:

The most important question of the twenty-first century is: Why did Jesus Christ suffer so much? But we will never see this importance if we fail to go beyond human cause. The ultimate answer to the question, Who crucified Jesus? is: God did. It is a staggering thought. Jesus was his Son. And the suffering was unsurpassed. But the whole message of the Bible leads to this conclusion.

Download a free copy from DesiringGod.org.

It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'!

This Week in Calvinism - April 22, 2011

• Peter Lumpkins thinks Southern Baptists should "drop allegiance to being Baptist Calvinists and become self-described Baptist Fullerites."
  
  
• William Birch misrepresents Calvinists on the topic of evangelism. I've long since given up on trying to figure out why Arminians constantly rely on the same straw man arguments. Perhaps he's right when he says that "there is little hope for a befitting dialogue between Calvinists and Arminians."
  
  
• One retired preacher rejects Calvinism and Lordship salvation as unbiblical.
  
  
• Richard sees similarities between Darwin's thinking and Calvin's, believing "it shows that all falsehood, such as Darwinism and Calvinism, really has a common ancestor."
  
  
• Evangelical Calvinist Bobby Grow thinks TULIP Calvinism can lead to "navel-gazing spirituality...wherein a totally depraved, unconditionally elected person seeks to verify that he/she has actually been limitedly atoned for, and thus a recipient of irressitible grace by discerning through their good works that they indeed are a persevering saint."
  
  
• Chuck describes his journey to Calvinism.

This Week in Calvinism - April 15, 2011

• The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian.
  
  
• Listen to a special session from the 2011 Gospel Coalition Conference, convened in light of Rob Bell's book Love Wins. It's entitled "God: Abounding in Love, Punishing the Guilty."
  
  
• What exactly is a Reformed Baptist church?
  
  
• It's another "Free Stuff Friday" at Challies.com.
  
  
• Al Mohler discusses TIME's cover story "What if There's No Hell?"
  
  
• John MacArthur asks an important question: "Is Rob Bell truly a Christian, or is he one of those dangerous deceivers Scripture warns us about repeatedly?"

Unconditional Election Makes the Great Commission Possible

I believe the Great Commission would be impossible apart from the doctrine of unconditional election. If the winning of souls were entirely up to us, we would undoubtedly fail. The only reason any evangelist has won someone to Christ is because Christ has already gone into the world ahead of him. Or, to put it in Star Trek terms, Christ has boldly gone where no evangelist has gone before.

The God who has determined the end has also determined the means, and that includes believers going into all the world to proclaim the gospel. God has said that his word "shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11). That is encouraging news for every believer.

This Week in Calvinism - April 8, 2011

• Brian McLaren admits his critical statement about John Piper was wrong. Sort of.
  
  
• Calvin and Zwingli discuss the sacraments.
  
  
• Tim Challies talks with Todd Friel about New Calvinism, Rob Bell, the gospel, and other topics.
  
  
• Sam Storms writes: "No one has made the case for the non-existence of honest atheists, with greater clarity and force, than John Calvin."
  
  
• Follow along with John Piper as he reads through his book, Desiring God.

A Stern Letter to the Apostle Paul

The following is an excerpt from an ancient letter recently discovered in a cave on the island of Satiricus. It is addressed to the Apostle Paul:

Our church recently received a copy of the letter that you sent to the church of Galatia. We hope you will not mind hearing our humble concerns. In the past we have noticed you are more interested in confronting people rather than conversing with them, but we hope you will receive this letter as an invitation to further dialogue.

First of all, we are uncomfortable with your tone throughout the correspondence. We know it is difficult sometimes to discern tone of voice from written communication, but you should keep this in mind as well. One could gather from your careless use of words that you are losing your temper. You certainly sound angry. This is unbecoming a spokesperson for the faith. As you say yourself, one of the manifest fruit of God’s Spirit is gentleness.

Aren't you being a hypocrite to preach grace but not show it to our Judaizer brothers? They may not worship as you do or emphasize the same teachings you do, but our Lord has "sheep not of this fold," and there is certainly room within the broader Way for these brothers. Their methodology may differ from yours, but certainly their hearts are in the right place.

Read the rest here.

Robbed Hell

Robbed Hell - C.A.S.T. Pearls Presents from Canon Wired on Vimeo.

The Gospel in Five Minutes

G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

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This Week in Arminianism - April 1, 2011

• The Seeking Disciple on the imputation of righteousness through Christ's resurrection.
  
  
• Kevin Jackson discusses Arminian theology as it pertains to the parable of the prodigal son.
  
  
• The problem with modern Arminians.
  
  
• William Birch explains what Arminius and the Remonstrants believed regarding the exclusivity of the gospel.
  
  
• J. C. Thibodaux continues his series of posts on the fallacy of Calvinist apologetics.
  
  
• Has John MacArthur misrepresented Arminianism?