Discalced Baptist

I was recently in a discussion on Facebook dealing with God's sovereignty. In it I was accused of being one of Job's friends, acting as a lousy comforter. I won't deny that I was a lousy comforter because I was in no way trying to be one. I didn't realize that the person with whom I was engaging was currently suffering. When I read what was stated, I simply saw an argument for a certain view of God's sovereignty, one that I couldn't rectify with clear statements regarding God's sovereignty in Scripture. My Reformed understanding is often considered cold by those of a different view, so again, it doesn't surprise me that my interlocutor felt like I was a terrible comforter. Many folks don't see how a Reformed understanding can bring comfort in times of evil or peril. The truth is though, it is only a Reformed understanding that can bring me peace in my current circumstances. To allow you into my life, here is what is going on: I'm a father of...

The first chapter of the 1689 London Baptist Confession sets the stage for the rest of the confession by establishing what the foundation is for it's doctrine, namely the Holy Scriptures. The first paragraph serves almost like a thesis statement for the rest of the chapter. Having made its point of the certain, infallible rule for faith and obedience, the Confession continues into paragraph 2 of the first chapter by identifying positively what precisely is the holy canon of Scripture. Under the name of Holy Scripture, or the Word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testament, which are these: OF THE OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Ze...

If one thing is true, history will repeat itself.  Maybe it will repackage the idea into new practices and applications, but the same concept will be what drives it.  In an article from LifeNews.com we read about some United Methodists and Episcopalians joining together to "bless" abortion clinics.  In the article we read this statement: Young explained her acceptance of abortion like this: “Christianity, like most faiths, is founded on love. Watching protesters shouting judgment and hate based on what they call religion is horrible. Is that loving God? Is that loving your neighbor as yourself?” This "pastor" is supposedly claiming the message of the Gospel is to love and bless, therefore those who preach against the horror of abortion are nothing but people full of hate, proclaiming a religion of hate.  This idea is not new.  This heresy actually is one of the oldest in the church. Marcion was the leader of a heretical sect that ultimately taught that the ...

... Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased. What a statement!  It pleased the Lord to reveal Himself to us!  Amen!  But sadly, as Solomon said, "Men have sought out many devices."  Within the first paragraph we already see what is a hotly contested subject.  In short, the position posited here is that of what is commonly known as cessationism, or to say that the miraculous and revelatory gifts of the Spirit no longer exist today.  Even amongst modern Calvinistic folk the vie...

I don’t think people are understanding the issues surrounding those who are boycotting Target.  Where there are those who are doing so because they do not want to support the GLBT, there are many who are simply afraid and desiring to protect women from sexual predators.  Lets look at the numbers: 700,000 people in the USA identify as transgender 805,781 registered sex offenders in the US 268,000 rapes take place (and there is an estimated 68% of rapes that go unreported, so this figure could be substantially higher) Statistics say 1 in 6 women will be raped. Only ~2% of rapists are actually incarcerated, leaving the vast majority of rapists able to strike again. The male population is approximately 161.7 million (50% of the approximate US population) Some studies would suggest that 65% of transgender people are male, making the approximate figure 455K men are transgender. Putting these numbers together, we can easily see that there are almost twice as many regi...

We live in a nation where sin is rampant and lawlessness is ever growing. What once was a nation that at least held to some moral truth, has in this day and age utterly rejected it. But why? It's not like Christians have completely withdrawn. Missions and ministries are beginning everyday. Yet we find even within our own assemblies a growing unrighteousness. What could be the source of such heinous crimes before a holy God? A close examination of Romans 1:18-32 will provide us an answer. For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.  For His invisible attributes, that is,  His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.  As a result, people are without excuse.  For though they knew...

"What am I to do with my children?"  As a Baptist who has wrestled greatly with infant baptism, this is the question that plagues my mind and has caused me to reconsider the debate so often.  I have 4 young boys, the first of whom was sprinkled in the Presbyterian church we currently attend.  The subsequent 3 children I have withheld from it due to my doubts of the validity of infant baptism.  Baptists have published numerous works, exegeting the Biblical texts, and producing well reasoned theological treatises, but I haven't encountered much in regard to my children's current relationship to the church.  Within the Presbyterian scheme, I can easily identify that my children are a part of the local church, and that it is there duty to take upon themselves the responsibility of their membership as they come into their own faith.  Until that time, they ride in essence upon the coattails of mommy and daddy.  We see examples of this all throughout the worl...

John Murray writes, The writer knows only too well how persuasive the baptist argument respecting infant baptism can be made to appear and how conclusive it becomes to many earnest and sincere Christians.  He knows also how difficult it is to persuade people, whose thinking has been moulded after the baptist pattern, that the argument for infant baptism is Scriptural.  But the reason for this is that to think organically of the Scripture revelation is much more difficult than to think atomistically. ( Christian Baptism, pg 2) I find this quote of Murray's interesting because as a Baptist who attends a Presbyterian church, I've had this accused of me.  As I have wrestled with the issue of baptism, I was told that I spend too much time looking at the details and ergo "miss the forest for the trees."  But I would like to challenge that notion.  If one stands afar in order to see the forest, what you begin to no longer see are the individual trees. ...