D. James Kennedy (1930–2007)

Just shortly after the announcement that D. James Kennedy (Wikipedia) had officially retired from his position as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida—a position that he held for more than 48 years—comes the announcement that he has gone home to be with the Lord at the age of 76.

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9Marks Tackles the Race Issue

The September/October 9Marks eJournal (PDF) tackles the issue of racism and does so very helpfully.

Here are the articles, interviews, reviews, and discussions that it contains:

• Thabiti Anyabwile and Jonathan Leeman: “Starting the Conversation with Earth, Wind, and Fire”

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Sovereign Grace MP3 Sermon Downloads Now Free!

Carolyn McCulley notes that the Sovereign Grace Ministries Store has now made all of their MP3 sermon downloads free. They previously sold most of these messages for a couple bucks each. It seems like this is a permanent switch and not a special limited-time offer.

This audio comes from over 70 speakers covering 30 different topics and including audio from several different conferences like Together for the Gospel, New Attitude, and Worship God.

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Baptism Yet Again

What started out as an interchange between Wayne Grudem and John Piper developed into a discussion involving 9Marks’s Mark Dever and Aaron Menikoff. The dialog—no longer really a back-and-forth debate—continues.

Abraham Piper raises the question of whether Baptists should consider paedobaptists as unrepentant sinners, which seems to be the necessary conclusion if, from the Baptist’s perspective, non-first-generation paedobaptists are failing to obey the Scriptural teaching to be baptized after conversion. It would seem logically that, if they are sinning unrepentantly, they are destined for hell.

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Two Baptist Perspectives on Baptism

Wayne Grudem (Wikipedia | Theopedia), a Baptist professor at Phoenix Seminary and theologian in the Evangelical Free Church of America, argued in his Systematic Theology that mode of baptism should not be a point of division regarding church membership.

He has since changed his position and rewritten the section—seeing the position of compromise at inherently problematic based on the fact that two views on baptism as mutually exclusive.

Fellow Baptist theologian and pastor John Piper (Wikipedia | Theopedia) disapproves and has responded to Grudem’s change of thinking on the issue.

Update: Grudem responds to Piper’s criticisms.

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Ruth Bell Graham, 1920-2007

Ruth Bell Graham, In Memorium

I saw a sign on a strip of highway once that I would like to have copied on my gravestone. It said, “End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”
—Ruth Bell Graham*

I have been asked the question, ‘Who do you go to for counsel, for spiritual guidance?’
My answer: my wife, Ruth. She is a great student of the Bible. Her life is ruled by the Bible more than any person I’ve ever known. That’s her rule book, her compass. Her disposition is the same all the time–very sweet and very gracious and charming. When it comes to spiritual things, my wife has had the greatest influence on my ministry.
—Billy Graham

For more information regarding Mrs. Graham, see her Memorial.

Other Links:

Justin Taylor | Ruth Graham Bio | Ruth Graham Press Release | ChristianityToday LiveBlog

*From “A Hearing Heart,” InDecision Magazine, January 1970, ©1969, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

David Powlison on Desire

Justin Taylor has posted 16 excerpts from a chapter entitled “I Am Motivated When I Feel Desire” in David Powlison’s book Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture. Here they are:

Introduction

1. How does the New Testament commonly talk about what’s wrong with people?
2. Why do people do specific ungodly things?
3. But what’s wrong with wanting things that seem good?
4. Why don’t people see this as the problem?
5. Is the phrase “lusts of the flesh” useful in practical life and counseling?
6. Does each person have one “root sin”?
7. How can you tell if a desire is inordinate rather than natural?
8. Is it even right to talk about the heart, since the Bible teaches that the heart is unknowable to anyone but God? (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer. 17:9)
9. Doesn’t the word lusts properly apply only to bodily appetites: the pleasures and comforts of sex, food, drink, rest, exercise, health?
10. Can desires be habitual?
11. What about fears? They seem as important in human motivation as cravings.
12. Do people ever have conflicting motives?
13. How does thinking about lusts relate to other ways of talking about sin, such as “sin nature,” “self,” “pride,” “autonomy,” “unbelief,” and “self-centeredness”?
14. In counseling, do you just confront a person with his sinful cravings?
15. Can you change what you want?

You can also download the first chapter, “Counsel Ephesians,” as a PDF from the Westminster Bookstore.

Rick Warren and Sam Harris: The God Debate

Well-known evangelical pastor Rick Warren and atheist Sam Harris recently met at Warren’s Saddleback Church in California for a four-hour discussion of the question, Is God real?

WARREN: Sam, do you believe human beings have a spirit?

HARRIS: There are many reasons not to believe in a naive conception of a soul that kind of floats off the brain at death and goes somewhere else. But I do not know.

WARREN: Can you have spirituality without a spirit?

HARRIS: You can feel yourself to be one with the universe.

WARREN: OK, then why can’t you just take the next step? Because right now you’re talking in extremely nonrational terms.

HARRIS: There’s nothing irrational about it. You can close your eyes in meditation and lose the sense of your physical body, totally. Many people draw from that the metaphysical conclusion that “I’m just spirit, and I can transcend the body.” That’s not the only conclusion you have to draw from that experience, and I don’t think it’s the best conclusion.

WARREN: You’re more spiritual than you think. You just don’t want a boss. You don’t want a God who tells you what to do.

HARRIS: I don’t want to pretend to be certain about anything I’m not certain about.

Rick, last thoughts?

WARREN: I believe in both faith and reason. The more we learn about God, the more we understand how magnificent this universe is. There is no contradiction to it. When I look at history, I would disagree with Sam: Christianity has done far more good than bad. Altruism comes out of knowing there is more than this life, that there is a sovereign God, that I am not God. We’re both betting. He’s betting his life that he’s right. I’m betting my life that Jesus was not a liar. When we die, if he’s right, I’ve lost nothing. If I’m right, he’s lost everything. I’m not willing to make that gamble.

Read selections from the discussion at Newsweek. See also the related article: Is God Real?

HT: Justin Taylor

The Gospel Coalition

Justin Taylor shares news about the upcoming Gospel Coalition Conference.

Several years ago, Don Carson and Tim Keller began rallying like-minded pastors who center their ministries on “the center”—Jesus Christ and him crucified. Fifty pastors—including John Piper, Mark Dever, Phil Ryken, Mark Driscoll, C. J. Mahaney, Ligon Duncan—comprised the initial meeting in Deerfield, Illinois.

They are now hosting a special 400-person-only conference for fellow pastors and laborers on May 23-24, 2007. I’ve been given permission now to post this information onto the blog.

To register, go to the Gospel Coalition registration page. Enter the username gospel and the password coalition. Lodging information is available on the website. Conference registration is $80.

The schedule is available on the new Gospel Coalition website: www.thegospelcoalition.org.

Update: See Mark Driscoll’s post: The Gospel Coalition.

The 2007 Shepherds’ Conference

The Shepherds’ Conference is currently underway at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA.

Tim Challies is live-blogging the event. Here are the current posts:

1. The Shepherds’ Conference
2. Shepherds’ Conference (I) (John MacArthur) (Transcript) New!
3. Shepherds’ Conference (II) (Steve Lawson)
   
4. Shepherds’ Conference (III) (C. J. Mahaney)
5. Shepherds’ Conference (IV) (Ligon Duncan)
6. Shepherds’ Conference (V)
7. Shepherds’ Conference (VI) (Al Mohler)
   
8. Shepherds’ Conference (VII)
9. Shepherds’ Conference (VIII) (Mark Dever)
10. Shepherds’ Conference (IX)
11. Shepherds’ Conference (X) (Panel)
    
12. Shepherds’ Conference (XI)
13. Shepherds’ Conference (XII)

Eschatology Discussion

Pulpit Magazine is covering the event as well.

1. 03/07: Why Are We Here?
2. 03/07: Why Calvinism Necessitates Premillennialism (John MacArthur)
3. 03/10: Shepherds’ Conference Recap
4. 03/12: Let’s Start with the End
5. 03/13: End Times Q&A (Part 1 of 3)
6. 03/14: End Times Q&A (Part 2 of 3)
   
7. 03/15: End Times Q&A (Part 3 of 3)
8. 03/16: Why Premillennialism?

There have been several responses to MacArthur’s session on Amillennialism.

1. Kim Riddlebarger:
   With All Due Respect to Dr. MacArthur . . .
   A Quick List of Amillennial Resources in Light of MacArthur’s Charges
   Why John MacArthur Is Not “Reformed”
   
2. John W. Hendryx:
   Short Response to Dr. MacArthur’s Comment on Amillennialism
3. Jason Robertson:
   03/07: The Mocked Shepherd
   03/08: Was Jesus an Amil?
   03/08: The Unoffended Preterist Amillenarian Shepherd
   03/10: Preterist Amil Reminders
   03/10: Reigning with Christ
   03/14: Take Me To Your King
   03/14: From the Pen of a Self-Respecting Calvinist
   03/14: The Preterist Perspective, Dr. Gentry
   03/17: Is the Kingdom of Christ Political
   03/19: Humiliating Christ Twice
   03/19: The Final Nail in the Coffin
   03/19: Anti-Gentile Theology
4. Erik Raymond:
   MacArthur comments further on his ‘controversial’ message
5. Adrian Warnock:
   Shepherds Conference I - John MacArthur Dismisses Amillennialism
   Spurgeon and Millennial Mud Slinging
   
6. Scott Aniol:
   Premillennial Eschatology: The Last Recovered Doctrine
7. Phil Johnson:
   Why Calvinism Necessitates Premillennialism
8. Kevin D. Johnson:
   I Just Had to Laugh
9. Justin Taylor:
   Problems with Premillennialism
   Premillennialism
   03/25: Storms: Amillennialism and the Millennial Kingdom of Revelation 20 (1)
   03/27: Storms on Rev. 20, Part 2
10. Richard A. Muller:
    How Many Points?
11. Sam Storms:
    Problems with Premillennialism
12. Sam Waldron:
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 1: John MacArthur Is My Friend?)
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 2: All Calvinists Should Be What?!!!)
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 1: Supplementary Excursus)
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 3: MacArthur Versus Church History!)
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Transcript of His Message)
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 4: Not Your Father’s Amillennialism)
    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 5: The Israel of God!–Introduction)
    

    MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto (Chapter 5: The Israel of God!–Galatians 6:16)

13. David Wayne:
    On the Offer of the Kingdom to Israel
    Spurgeon Says that MacArthur Gets Israel Wrong
    Premillennialism and Church History
14. Scott Clark:
    What Would Calvin Say?
15. Ken Fields:
    Are Christians New Covenant People?

I will update this entry with the latest information when it becomes available.