Here’s an 8-minute interview with Kevin DeYoung about his new(ish) book The Hole in Our Holiness. Desiring God will post other short videos in the next week from the rest of the interview.
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Tag: Desiring God
Justin Taylor has written a heartfelt tribute to Sproul and Piper. He compares their similarities and the blessed ways they have both ministered to the Church over the last several decades.
Here’s a snippet from the post:
It’s not merely the God-centered, biblically saturated content. It’s that this deep theology is creatively presented and passionately believed.
These men do not merely teach; they herald, they summon, they exhort, they plead, they yearn.
In a way that’s difficult to describe in a non-clichéd way, the timber of their voices contains both sorrow and joy. And in that sense, I think they echo the tone of their sorrowful-yet-always-rejoicing Savior.
For me personally, I am thankful to God for both these men. It was Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life that God first used to give me a passion to live for God’s glory in all things. It was Sproul’s book Chosen By God which first led me to discover the beauty of the doctrines of grace that permeate the Scriptures.
More than any other person, living or dead, Piper has influenced my theology and and my desire to have a longing passion for God. Every sermon or chapter I read from him leave my soul stirring for more of Christ.
Though his impact has been smaller, Sproul has still challenged me to think carefully, yet deeply about God. He has also inspired me to communicate simply the truths of Scripture. His Reformation Study Bible has helped me in these endeavors.
As Taylor said at the end of his post, to God alone be the glory!
“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” (Al Gore)
- I love this note from Desiring God about not making Piper a substitute for your own church: “While we encourage you to join us for the sermon, we encourage you even more to give primary attention to the preaching in your local church. In other words, we do not intend for John Piper’s sermon to replace the preaching of the Word from your pastor in your local church.”
- I listened to the Rob Bell sermon I mentioned a couple days ago entitled “Love Wins.” It has nothing to do with universalism or hell. Honestly, it’s a poor sermon on the effects and implications of the cross.
- Greg Boyd blogs on Bell’s book Love Wins and says it’s not a defense of Universalism. I don’t trust Boyd with a lot of theology (he’s an open theist), but that’s besides the point. In this post, he writes, “Rob is first and foremost a poet/artist/dramatist who has a fantastic gift for communicating in ways that inspire creativity and provoke thought. Rob is far more comfortable (and far better at) questioning established beliefs and creatively hinting atpossible answers than he is at constructing a logically rigorous case defending a definitive conclusion.” I have one thing to say to that: if this is the case, he shouldn’t be shepherding any kind of congregation that represents the name of Jesus Christ.
- It’s good to hear that Boyd says the book doesn’t espouse Universalism. But the problem guys like Taylor, Piper, and DeYoung (and I) have is not what Bell’s book is going to say, it’s what is promo material has already said. I will read Bell’s book, but consider again this quip from the publisher: “Now, in Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic—eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts right now.” Whatever Bell says cannot undo this statement.
- College basketball’s conference tournaments start on Thursday, concluding with the Big Dance selection show on Sunday. If I were a betting man, my four #1 seeds would be: Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, and Pittsburgh. Kansas will be #1 overall. My Huskers will probably go one-and-done in Kansas City. How do I know? There is nothing new under the sun.
- Charlie Sheen has been on Twitter for about a week. He has almost two million followers. I am not one of them. Each day, Sheen is quickly becoming more like his character Ricky Vaughn in Major League.
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The Unborn and the Unborn-Again
John Piper has some intriguing thoughts on the battle for life for the unborn and the unborn-again.
Here’s a look at some problems with Premillennialism by Sam Storms. Its’ a very convincing argument in favor of Amillennialism (which is where I fall when it comes to eschatology).
James Pruch 