Trend to watch: T.D. Jakes and James MacDonald

I have benefitted from the ministry of James MacDonald–specifically his books.  I know many have been fed and edified by listening to his sermons as well.  He has been a participant and proponent of the biblical counseling movement. For these things I am grateful.

I am concerned though that he has invited T. D. Jakes to his popular forum called the Elephant Room.  What concerns me most is that MacDonald doesn’t see any problems with his Jakes’ belief regarding the Trinity which many (and I mean many) conservative evangelicals have pointed out is outside the bounds of orthodoxy.

There are many excellent articles dealing with this development. Among the better ones is this one by Mark at “Here I Blog.”  We need to exercise spiritual discernment here so I’d encourage you to read Mark’s article and watch this one carefully. Here’s Mark’s concern (and I agree):

“As I see it, there is cause for concern over giving Jakes a platform with Evangelical Christians. It would be great if Jakes were loving confronted on his positions with Scripture so he can clearly say what he means. Even if it could be shown that Jakes is now Trinitarian it would seem from the few examples listed above that he is not carrying out the pastoral duties of the role which he claims to fill.

When it comes to T.D. Jakes and Elephant Room it seems there is a lack of discernment when it comes to association.”

 

 

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A veritable feast: Sinclair Ferguson’s Tabletalk articles

What a joy to find out that Tabletalk (Ligonier’s monthly publication) has made all of Sinclair Ferguson’s article for the last several years available for free on-line.

Check them out here! There’s a lot of wisdom here!

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Hitler killed disabled children and so do we

See John Knight’s article on the current reasoning published by such sources as the the New York Times regarding why it’s ok to kill one twin in the womb.

“Some women who have gone through significant financial expense and physical hardship to conceive children through medical interventions are voluntarily choosing to kill one of their healthy twins, though there is usually no medical reason to do so.”

What’s their logic?

Knight writes, “And at least one woman made the case that since it is acceptable to abort children with disabilities it should be equally acceptable to abort one of two healthy twins:

“I couldn’t have imagined reducing twins for nonmedical reasons,” she said, “but I had an amnio and would have had an abortion if I found out that one of the babies had an anomaly, even if it wasn’t life-threatening. I didn’t want to raise a handicapped child. Some people would call that selfish, but I wouldn’t. Parents who abort for an anomaly just don’t want that life for themselves, and it’s their prerogative to fashion their lives how they want. Is terminating two to one really any different morally?”

Pause over that last sentence . . . and read the rest of Knight’s article exposing such reasoning.

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An early jump on your October calendar/wallpaper

Ali’s got some good ones!  Check them out here if your computer needs some “re-decorating” or you just want to be ready for the next month!

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50 rules for dads and daughters!

Dads, are you up for these 50?   Here’s a few words of wisdom for us:

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

2.  Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she add years to her… add life to her years.

4.  Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

Yeah I missed #3 on purpose so you will go to the article. Go ahead you need to read the other 47 as well!

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That’s “outdated”

Stephen Altrogge doesn’t like to be called “outdated” anymore than any of us do.  He is rightly concerned with our rush to call certain beliefs “outdated.”

“We should always evaluate what we believe and what has traditionally been believed in light of scripture. The Reformation was built on the idea that everything must filter through scripture. My concern, however, is that in our modern culture we will be too quick to abandon ideas that have traditionally been held. That can be just as dangerous as holding on to “outdated” ideas. Maybe more dangerous.”

Take a few minutes to read his explanation.

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