BY BRAXTON HUNTER, PhD

We now stand ten years from what many internet atheists consider to be the tour de force of their perspective – Richard Dawkins’, The God Delusion. Likely no other book from what is called the New Atheist movement springs to mind as readily, and few have received as much attention from the media, or Christian apologists for that matter. It provided quick pithy responses for Dawkins’ followers that serve as party-lines to this day. Perhaps most famously, Dawkins asserts, “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”[1]  As bad as that sounds, of course, the charge only sticks (and some of them don’t make sense anyway) if one assumes that such a God does not actually exist to begin with (which kind of defeats the purpose), and that doctrine doesn’t matter (which, if God exists, it certainly does). It’s kind of like saying, “I can’t possibly believe heart surgeons exist, because it would be so bloody, violent, and wicked of them to cut open someone’s chest cavity.” As it turns out, heart surgeons are very much real. Even a child could understand that despite the blood and gore that seems somewhat violent, the man with the scalpel has good reasons for doing what he’s doing. In fact, it turns out to be a good and benevolent act. The same is true of the God of the Old Testament. However, that’s not really my focus.[2]

As has been pointed out by many other Christian critics, Dawkins is a biologist, not a philosopher, theologian or biblical scholar. Despite the fact that scientists are unduly praised as the clergy of our new secular era who have the answers to all possible mysteries and questions (see a podcast on that HERE), what a biologist has to say about philosophy, theology, origami, lawn care, or cooking, should carry no more weight than the opinions of any other reasonably well educated person. Thus, far from giving well-reasoned answers to time-tested cosmological, teleological and moral arguments, Dawkins misunderstands them at every turn. This is a flaw he shared with the late Christopher Hitchens (his antitheist brother in arms) who repeatedly misunderstood moral arguments for God’s existence to amount to the claim that atheists are incapable of making morally good choices (see the video HERE to watch him do this repeatedly throughout a two hour documentary, each time being corrected for it, and each time ignoring the correction). Dawkins’ answer, in fact the self-declared centerpiece of The God Delusion, boils down to one theological conundrum – “Who designed the designer?”[3]

Despite the fact that there is no logical problem with the concept of an uncreated Being, we might admit that this is a fair question. In fact, children ask this question often. Then they ask it as teenagers. If they still don’t have an answer, they ask it in freshman philosophy class. I dare say, though, that even the most secularized of liberal arts university philosophy professors are usually willing to present the answer to the question that plagues Dawkins – the principle question that presents a problem for theism, and in turn Christian belief. This means that Dawkins could have done a simple internet search, or to be a bit more scholarly, walked down the hallway to the philosophy department and asked them.

Richard Dawkins’ concern is the atheistic equivalent of the question, “If evolution is true, shouldn’t all the monkeys have turned into people by now?” it has about the same level of intellectual prowess to recommend it (which is to say, not much). You might expect a Christian apologist/seminarian to say something like that, but don’t take it upon my word. Take the words of noted atheist philosopher of science, Michael Ruse who says of Dawkins’ on this very point, “Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion would fail any introductory philosophy or religion course,” and, “I have written elsewhere that The God Delusion makes me ashamed to be an atheist. Let me say that again.”[4] Ruse’s response to Dawkins’ claim about the question of who made God is, “Let’s at least have the intellectual integrity to look at these things and look at the responses.”[5] By this he means, Christians have very scholarly answers to such questions, and skeptics should take those answers seriously. In fact, that is the point to which his criticism of The God Delusion reduces, “He just doesn’t take the things he’s talking about seriously.”[6]

In case anyone finds this article and hasn’t had the question that serves as the centerpiece of The God Delusion answered, let’s take care of that right now. First, it should be noted that the Kalam Cosmological Argument is often misquoted by atheists. Thus, the confusion abounds. The Kalam says,

1. Everything that begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.

2. The universe began to exist.

3. Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.

Atheists going the Dawkins route say, “Aha, you said yourself, everything that exists must have a cause for its existence. If God exists, then He also has to have a cause. Your argument is weak!” Of course, this is to make a subtle, but important misstep. The argument does not say, “everything that exists must have a cause.” It says, “Everything that begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to correct this mistake (listen to me straighten this out with an atheistHERE).

Christian theology says that God is not a part of the created universe. Think of the Disney Pixar film, Toy Story. Who created the film? Perhaps, one might suggest, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, or Mr. Potato Head created the film. These options will not do, and in fact are ridiculous suggestions for one very good reason . . . they’re part of the created film. Computer designers, animators, screenwriters and a lot of other people were involved in the creation of the film, and they all have one thing in common – they stand outside of the Toy Story digitally created universe. In the same way, the cause of the universe cannot be a part of the universe (by this I mean the physical universe). Since the physical universe is made up of matter, space and. . .  time, the cause of the universe must not be in those same categories. Thus, the cause must be non-material, spaceless and . . . timeless.

Since God exists in what we might call “eternity” (and by this I do not mean everlasting, but a state of timelessness), He does not have a beginning. He could not have a beginning, because He does not exist in the physical universe of which time is a part. Time is a created thing. In fact, lest you think I’m infusing theological speculation, physicists understand that time is a part of the physical universe such that if there were no physical universe there would be no time (and, therefore, no beginnings or endings).[7] As should be clear, the sophomoric sneer, “Well, then who made GOD?” is not a conversation stopper.

In the end, Dawkins’ work will be remembered. However, in an odd turn of events, this is probably a good thing for Christian theism and a bad thing for atheism. I recall Norman Geisler once telling me that he reads atheist material for his devotions because it affirms his faith to see how weak their arguments are. Ten years out from The God Delusion, I must concur.

[1] Dawkins, Richard, The God Delusion, Great Britain: Bantam Press, 2006, 31.

[2] For further reading on this, I recommend Is God a Moral Monster, by Paul Copan. However, I should say that I do believe he goes overboard at times in trying to white-wash the Old Testament as if he’s readying it for resale at the local Christian bookstore. That said, it’s a great resource and is widely recommended as a response to what have come to be known as the atrocities of the Old Testament.

[3] Ibid. 157-158.

[4] Ruse, Michael, http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/scienceandthesacred/2009/08/why-i-think-the-new-atheists-are-a-bloody-disaster.html Accessed on August 1, 2016. Internet.

[5] Ruse, Michael, https://youtu.be/Hhzgg59bVLU Accessed on August 1, 2016. Internet.

[6] Ibid.

[7] For more on this, I recommend, Time and Eternity, by William Lane Craig. 

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A BOOK BY ROBERT NEGRON

Trinity is always excited to learn of students or graduates who have produced outstanding publications. A prime example of one such popular level work is Robert Negron’s Experiencing God’s Love Through His Creation. Intended to be an inspirational resource, Negron has filled the book with incredible images that display God’s creativity as a skilled artist. These photos are coupled with biblical passages and brief devotional commentary. 

One reader said, 

The Word of God is so beautifully described in each passage and picture. Truly a book worth reading and keeping close to you so that everyday you can just open it and meditate!

Below is a synopsis. We hope you will check out this incredible work. At $3.99 for the Kindle version, it is a small investment that will reap great benefits. 

In “Experiencing God’s Love through His Creation,” Robert supports the eternal truth of God’s love with pictures of stunning sunrises, sunsets as well as with biblical scripture. Despite the recent passing of his grandson, Jeremy Scott Goehl, Robert has been renewed by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and now looks to the heavens to see God’s love being displayed across the South Florida skies. In the book of Psalms, chapter 19 verse 1, the psalmist David declares, “the heavens declare the glory of God.” In that same light, Robert has compiled some of his best photos and favorite scripture challenging us to come to Christ, receive His love and take it into the world. Robert’s desire is that you’ll come away with a deeper understanding of this never-ending love. Despite our circumstances, may we stop and reflect on His goodness, giving Him the glory He rightly deserves!

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BY JAY BARRETT

From its opening chapters, the book of Acts seemingly presents women equivalently in status with the men at the formation of the church.¹ After seeing Christ taken up, the apostles and other followers find themselves gathered with women, including Christ’s mother, in a house in Jerusalem – Acts 1:12-14. All those gathered prayed together leading up to the famous moment of Pentecost. The language which is laying the foundation of the book shows women to be active participants in the prayer gathering with even the great male apostles.

As the author of Acts moves into the second chapter and the Holy Spirit comes upon the people, there is no reason offered to suppose the same women seen in the upper room previously are not included in the “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…” – Acts 2:4. Thus, women are seen participating in one of the greatest kick off events of the church, not only as equal in prayer, but equal in receipt of God’s Spirit.

That the women were filled with the Holy Spirit and were also speaking in tongues on public display, is further supported in Peter’s subsequent sermon. He tells the crowd that they are seeing the fulfillment of the last days where God’s Spirit will come upon “sons and… …daughters…, both men and women…” – Acts 2:18. Certainly for God’s word to be declared 100% true by Peter and recognized by his audience, it would necessarily have been completely fulfilled at that time with both sexes being represented as the prophecy required.

Moving on from equal inclusion in the launch of the church, women are seen as equal in conversion. The book of Acts does not speak of subservient woman who followed their converted husbands into the man’s choice of belief. Rather, the book speaks with terms of equality of simply both men and women becoming believers – Acts 5:14. The principle of self-agency in the salvation of women is shown further with the distinction that both men and women are spoken of individually as being baptized – Acts 8:12.

Furthermore, women are equally demonstrated as recipients of miracles and workers of good works. A woman, Tabitha, is even raised from the dead. This woman is spoken of with the term disciple, and is told to have been very charitable – Acts 9:36, 40. Another woman, Mary, is seen as instrumental in providing her house as a meeting place for the church – Acts 12:12.

Perhaps the most blatant work a woman is shown to have done for the church is to correct Apollos, an experienced public speaker, in his understanding of Christian doctrine. Pricilla and Aquila, wife and husband, are both seen to be involved in the correction of Apollos, but the order of names as written in Acts names Pricilla first, seemingly giving her the prominent position in the act of correction – Acts 18:24, 26.

Alongside the positive light Acts places upon women next to the men, the book also presents women as equal in persecution received and given. Saul is seen to have given no preferential treatment to women over men when he persecuted the church, but punishing them both – Acts 22:4. On the other hand, women of high status are shown just as involved as the “chief men” in persecution of the apostles – Acts 13:50.

There are a few more examples that could be pulled from Acts, and many more thoughts that could be discussed relating to the presentation of women in the book of Acts. However, further consideration will not fit within the context of this post, so I leave readers with my personal dilemma. If we believe today that the role of women is to be limited in the church, are we missing the message of equality presented in the book of Acts?

1. Aside from the all male apostolic leadership which would be understood to place them by office above the status of even the other males.

This blog article was originally written as part of the course “The Book of Acts,” at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. You can audit the course or talk to us about starting your own journey at Trinity today by filling out the evaluation form to the right of this article.

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BY JOHNATHAN PRITCHETT, DRS

Back in 2013, I wrote an article entitled “ Biblical Illiteracy and the Death of the Church Library” Go read it here. With 0 “Likes” and a whopping three comments at a heavily trafficked site, it is easy to think that this isn’t a big thing. Maybe it isn’t. But, I think it is a big thing. 

It should be a thing. (Num. 7:18) It isn’t like people aren’t reading. People in the modern West, thanks to technology, are probably “reading” more than they have in decades. This includes Christians. (2 Pe 1:16) Whether on laptops, smartphones, or tablets, people are staring at screens “reading” something. Some are even buying books or ebooks. What they are not doing, if the bestsellers lists are any indication,  is reading much of anything that is meaningful or actually matters. Again, this includes Christians. 

With respect to getting better books in the hands of our church folk, I asked this question in my previous article:

Are they somewhat pricey? Well, that depends – certainly not any more pricey than many people’s Blu-ray collections.

I remember being asked if the “bookstore model” was a viable alternative. Here is the thing. Just having book stores next to the coffee shops in the foyer of larger churches won’t do. Smaller churches, of which there are many, do not have such things. Also, not everyone has the cash for a Blu-ray collection or good books, let alone overpriced coffee before worship. (Is. 26:8)

So, has biblical literacy increased in the past three years since I wrote my first article on this? Hardly. 

Some people are fooled by the theological discussions in their social media circles. If these conversations among the interested laypersons (often mixing it up with seminarians and scholars) is any indication, my “hardly” becomes a resounding “NO.” Neither this blog nor other blogs are good sources for increasing Biblical literacy. (1 Tim. 5:12) They may be good for flippant arguments and good polemics, but little else. Thankfully, normal churchgoers don’t even bother with those circles. That only would exacerbate the problem. There is nothing worse than smug people who know little believing they know a lot. 

Yes, I am speaking generally. Yes there are always exceptions. (Prov. 23:7) But seriously, even if the case could be made that if blogs and other avenues were to elevate their game to higher levels of depth (and civility), do we really want to use the banner of accessibility of the media available through technology to replace reading books? My answer is no. 

This is not to say blogs and social media circles dedicated to this sort of thing are bad. They can be quite good and often can be used as a force for good to inspire people to move on to deeper study, think about issues critically, etc. Blogs and social media circles have their place, but they are not to be the only place, or even the primary place for increasing biblical and theological literacy. Too often, they are on both counts. 

In addition to the Church Library, we need to rebuild attention spans. (Amos 9:14) Christians need to be able to settle down with a thick book (Neh. 2:14), moving beyond the skimming nature of online “reading.” The “Church Library” emphasis and an emphasis on developing a culture of reading in the churches can do just that. (Ps. 126:5)

Christianity is a religion of resurrection. So again, I call for a resurrection of church libraries. 

NOTE: When reading blogs, I wonder if anyone bothers to actually look up Bible verse references used to support points in articles. None of the verse references above have anything to do with what I am saying. Be honest. Did you read them or not? Did you assume they were used correctly? 

This article has content similar to what is discussed in the course “Contemporary Christian Issues” at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. Begin your You can audit the course or talk to us about starting your own journey at Trinity today by filling out the evaluation form to the right of this article. 

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BY TAMARA ROYAL

What do you associate with research? 

     My first graduate class with a secular university was titled, Educational Research.  I was warned if I did not submit the paper, the day it was due I would receive an automatic, guaranteed F.  Ironically, the morning I was supposed to submit my research paper I was the victim of food poisoning.  Thank God for mothers who save the day and become messengers for their own adult children!  Producing that paper and having an angel of a mother are definitely direct results of some desperate prayers.

     Next, I was working as an Educational Research Assistant collecting empirical data.  The only problem seemed to be, I was too honest.  Apparently, my research findings were not consistent with how the research was supposed to align with a funding goal.  I wondered, was it me?  Or was it working for and within an organization with different values.  I suppose it was the combination, because I was definitely free from being called back to record quotes, exactly as I heard them, verbatim – which did not make the research sound like it should be funded.

     Finally, my experience at another government sponsored secular research conference confirmed the void I sensed all along.  Secular research seems to leave something out.  Something was missing.  However, that is just my perspective.

     On the other hand, we can conduct and reference research with a Christian worldview.  Proceeding with this perspective backed up with praying through the process, produces something believers can relate to.  With an insight into thinking, hoping, praying, and being guided by the Holy Spirit, the Christian researcher’s goal is to glorify God, while praying for perseverance until its fruition.

     Add the Christian worldview to research and we will be shedding light on the truth.   With more research conducted within a Christian perspective, we have the potential to multiply research conducted within a Christian worldview.  In addition to producing research papers we could also be inspiring further implications for further investigation, to be conducted by additional Christian researchers with the same worldview.

     Additionally, when we complete research within a Christian worldview we will also be adding to our personal and professional growth, intellectually and spiritually — through the process of researching.

This blog article was originally written as part of the course “Research Within a Christian Worldview,” at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. You can audit the course or talk to us about starting your own journey at Trinity today by filling out the evaluation form to the right of this article. 

Tamara Royal’s work, published by: The Manhattan Times, The Children’s Aid Society, anthologized in Inspiration and “PoemMobile,” and translated into Spanish with projects sponsored by Team Continuum at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, is utilized in workshops with the intention of inspiring others to move forward personally and professionally. She has authored over twelve children’s books, and co-authored two.

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BY DR. JOHNATHAN PRITCHETT 

We often hear two things about the economy. These days, the first thing you are likely to hear is that the economy is bad. This may be a temporary condition that could get better. The other thing, which is more often heard about the economy in general during any climate is that we now live in a global economy. This is often discussed in the news and talk radio, and even pastors bring up this issue in our churches. What is often neglected when it comes to getting any attention is that we also, as has always been the case, live in a 24 hour economy.

The number of people working second and third shift has greatly increased in the last couple of decades, and in many cases during this sort of economic climate, these shifts fill up quite fast because people will work any hours they can get. Whether the economy is good or bad, those people who work the late shifts often get little interaction with those who live and do business during the daylight hours. Men and women with families are hardly getting the kind of quality time with their loved ones compared to those who work during regular business hours. Imagine being a parent, married or single, and you are sleeping when they are at school, and you are either headed to work before they come home, or just waking up for work when it is their bedtime. Imagine being single with no kids. What is there for you do ever do to meet people or fellowship? For people working these shifts, their free time is usually when everyone else is at work or sleeping.

In any city or town big enough for a Walmart, chances are that it is also bound to have at several all night service stations and restaurants, as well as factories and manufacturing plants in the area as well. This means there are potentially hundreds, or even thousands in some areas, who get forgotten or left out when it comes to church or community activities, and these people are a vital part of our communities.

There are two things that are usually true about what is available to people working these second and third shifts when it comes to having any sort of social life beyond what little they already see of their families, and the too often lack of sleep when trying to fit in doctors appointments and other important scheduled tasks that must occur during normal business hours. So when it comes to a social life, the options are usually bars and diners. That’s about it. Furthermore, those two kinds of establishments are the only kinds that usually cater to the people working the later shifts.

The question then becomes, what is the church doing to meet the needs of these people in their communities? During the week when the church staff members, and most church members, are usually heading to nighty-night time, someone is just getting off work, and someone else is going to work. Well, God loves these people, and Jesus died for these people (John 3:16), and Christians are Great Commission people, so something must be done in an effort to reach those who get lost in the mix or just plain forgotten. Some of them may already be Christians, and even members of a church somewhere, but many are probably not. What is true for everyone on the late shifts is that there is far too few things involving the church that caters to their needs.

Need some ideas on how to reach out to these late shift folks? Want to see more people meet Jesus? Do you want your church grow? There are hundreds and in many cases thousands of people out there working in the night and early morning who need Jesus, and who need His Church to give them some help and attention. Below are some ideas to help get people started in reaching out to these late shift workers. Before I list them, the best place to figure out what can be done is talk to those second and third shift workers already in your church and see what they need and what ideas they have. Chances are good there are one or two in your church already. If there are none, you now have a target demo to reach out to with the Gospel. In any case, here are some ideas to get started.

1. For second shift workers, churches can usually cater food from a restaurant to their places of employment. This is an excellent opportunity to stuff some tracts or other materials along with some pizza boxes or BBQ plates. For third shift workers, it may be harder to cater, but get some folks together to cook some delicious food and take it to them. Food always goes over well. Another idea is to have the occasional hot breakfast waiting for them at the church when they get off work, or schedule an occasional dinner before they go to work.

2. Find some people who can host Bible studies that can fit their schedules.

3. Have some night owls in church willing to go into these places of employment during these odd hours and share the Gospel with them at work, or at least pass out information to them regarding what the church has specifically for them. People working the second and third shifts at gas stations are always looking for company.

4. Get some volunteers to offer babysitting services (cheap, or even free!) to give them a break on day off once in a while if they need it, and many will need it. Very rarely can anyone working these shifts find people who can schedule the time to fit their hours and schedule. Are these people members who would receive this benefit? Doesn’t matter. Chances are they will become members of a church that gives them a helping hand.

5. Dare to have an odd hour worship service for them! A lot of folks are working late Saturday or early Sunday these days, or can’t make the Sunday night or Wednesday night services if the church has them.  

6. Schedule some fun events at the church either late at night or early in the morning. Show free movies with pop corn and soda, have some sports tournament if the church has a gym, or perhaps talk to some of the family entertainment establishments like the bowling alley to open up early once or twice a month.

Most importantly, whether or not they are members of the church, and whether or not they are believers, someone needs to spend some time with these folks on their time schedule. There are lots of people out there these days and too few churches are reaching out to them on any level, whether it is  sharing with them the Gospel message, or just giving them something else to do besides go to the bar, Waffle House, or just go home.

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BY ROBERT ELY, M.A.

   I’m a Calvinist. Not only that, but I appreciate the writings of C.S. Lewis and (especially) A.W. Tozer. But I also know very well that neither author completely shares my views on soteriology. And that’s O.K.

     What saddens me most, though, is when those from both sides of the soteriology debate focus too much on the differences and not enough on the unity we share among brothers. Now don’t get me wrong here. We should never seek to be “united” with those who hold to heretical teaching. No one should seek unity merely for unity’s sake. I’m referring to unity among brothers who are held together by the common bond of faith in Jesus Christ. Brothers who agree that Christ is the only way to the Father and believe that His death and resurrection is the only means of salvation, that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

     As a Calvinist, a rock-solid focus on Christ and the Scriptures is very important to me. It is the bedrock of all I believe. And may I say, that is precisely why I like reading Lewis and Tozer, because even if we don’t see eye to eye on one issue, I find in their writings a common love for Christ and His Word.

     For instance, in his famous book Mere Christianity, Lewis leaves no doubt as to who Christ is:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

     And with regard to Lewis’ view on keeping a Christ-centered heart through all of life, he writes:

“Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity    

     A.W. Tozer was a prophetic voice in modern days, especially to the church. He penned some of the most powerful words written in his day. Of Christ’s redemption he wrote:

“If man had his way, the plan of redemption would be an endless and bloody conflict. In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus’ fist, but by His nail-pierced hands; not by muscle but by love; not by vengeance but by forgiveness; not by force but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win; He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him.”
― A.W. Tozer, Preparing for Jesus’ Return: Daily Live the Blessed Hope

     One of my all-time favorite quotes by Tozer, however, is one we can stand to learn from today regarding unity.

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”
― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

     The Apostle Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 –

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. ¹² What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

     Don’t get me wrong. I am proud of the theological tradition that I hold to and I honor the theological heroes of the faith throughout Church history that have preached these doctrines. I love studying them and reading their books. But John Calvin didn’t die for me. Jonathan Edwards wasn’t raised for me. I wasn’t baptized in the name of Augustine. There is only one who holds that honor. That one is Jesus Christ!

I’m pretty sure Lewis and Tozer would agree.

Trinity is a non-denominational school, and is proud that thinkers from a variety of conservative orthodox evangelical persuasions are part of the Trinity family. For that reason, we encourage in-house debate on theological issues such as those mentioned in articles like this one. Feel free to comment. 

This student article was written, in part, as a response to the article, “Was C.S. Lewis a Calvinist?“

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BY CHRIS KOZACEK

NOTE: This article by a Trinity Student was originally posted as “When Your Secrets Are Revealed,” HERE. Trinity is proud to see Chris Kozacek’s work being featured on such an influential platform as XXXChurch.com, and can’t wait to see how God will use him in the future. 

You are a Pastor. Your secret has come out. Whether it’s because you were caught, or you finally spilled it yourself…

Now your family knows… Your church knows…. Your staff knows… Your Elder Board knows… Your friends know… people know… facebook and twitter knows… God has known all along…
And you are…

Broken.
Distraught.
Angry.
Embarrassed.
Ashamed.
Guilty.
Lonely.
Possibly relieved the secret is out.
Abandoned.

You may have lost your family, friends, ministry and so on – or maybe not. Or maybe you have a group of people around you picking you up and supporting you in your recovery.
What now though? Either way – Thank God that the darkness is in the light.  Yes, I did say to thank God for the brokenness that you now find yourself in. Am I crazy… well sometimes!

But the way that God has used and invested in people who were broken since the beginning of Creation, and will in the future, is amazing – and should be encouraging. He is waiting for you to come and return to Him. Through your brokenness, He is waiting to do a new thing with and in you. Whatever the length of the journey or the consequences to our actions because of this addiction – God is not done, and you can be used. There is hope; you can be restored in Him.

It’s true though, it may not ever be the same as it was – actually it shouldn’t be, you can be different now. Some will lose their families or ministry jobs, etc… for life depending on what happens (and obviously for that – we should mourn and hurt over the consequences of our choices) – but you are not useless to God, or to your neighbors. New life can come out of the ashes. You can be different going forward…

I was 21 when all my secrets really came out. I was serving as an Assistant Pastor in a great new church plant and on staff at another church. There I was at 6am, broken from a horrible night of struggle with porn and sexual issues and calling the lead pastor of our church plant to confess and repent, and later in the day sharing with my supervisor at the other church all my struggles as well. The Bible says we are all sinners, but I was convinced no one was worse than me, that I deserve everything bad for how disrespectful and non-God honoring I had treated women in the past and what a mess I had made of my life.

I had a different response from both of those men than a lot of guys experience when their stuff comes out. They both committed to a long and difficult journey of walking with me, holding me accountable, picking me up, showing mercy and grace to me – but most of all speaking and modeling Christ’s love to help me heal and change not just my behavior, but to be more like Christ in all areas.

Here’s the beginning of sharing a practical part for you (I hope)… if your secrets are out, it probably pretty difficult at the moment, but embrace the brokenness and turn from it. Rest in Christ. Read the Word. Find an accountability partner. Find people who will walk with you. Pray to the God who loves you and has been waiting for you to come home – let Him enter your journey.  Apologize to those who you have hurt and offended. Regardless of the outcome, humble yourself before your God, and those you have hurt. Seek out counseling.
Get up, and walk in a new life.  Be doers not just hearers of the Word. That doesn’t mean you won’t trip up again… but it should become less and less frequent as you truly take hold of Christ’s words and power in your life.

Be honest. Be humbled. Be broken. Be in Him…

“…And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I’m humbled by Your mercy and I’m broken inside
Once again I thank You,
Once again I pour out my life…”
(“Once Again” lyrics by Matt Redman)

“…Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all…”
“Jesus Messiah” lyrics by Chris Tomlin”

I am humbled by His mercy. I know my life is broken mess, but has been taken by God and restored. God has been and is my rescue – my hope for a new and changing life. It’s all I have to cling to… it’s what I want.

This blog article is related to the material in the course “Issues in the Modern Church,” at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. You can audit the course or talk to us about starting your own journey at Trinity today by filling out the evaluation form to the right of this article. 

The post Pornography: When Your Secrets Are Revealed first appeared on Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary.

The post Pornography: When Your Secrets Are Revealed appeared first on Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary.

NOTE: This article was originally post HERE.

Listen to the Podcast: “CS Lewis debating John Piper over Calvinism“

In the most recent “Ask Pastor John” podcast with Dr. John Piper he answers the question, “What Arminians have influenced you the most.”  He was gracious in his reply but he did erroneously allude to the belief that CS Lewis was not to be included among the list of Arminians who have had influence on him because of a recent presentation at one of his conferences that apparently attempted to prove CS Lewis was Calvinistic.

I almost fell out of my chair…literally.

Those of you who know my story are aware that reading CS Lewis (along with AW Tozer) is what helped to lead me to reexamine my interpretative methods and eventually recant Calvinism.  I have read every word of CS Lewis, some of them multiple times.  I have a theological “man crush” (look it up, its a real thing) on this guy, and while I may be uncertain about some scholars stance on this issue I have absolutely no doubt about CS Lewis.

I’ll be brief here because it will not take long to prove my point.  Here are a few quotes from CS Lewis that may help shed some light on this:

“God has made it a rule for Himself that He won’t alter people’s character by force. He can and will alter them – but only if the people will let Him. In that way He has really and truly limited His power.  Sometimes we wonder why He has done so, or even wish that He hadn’t. But apparently He thinks it worth doing. He would rather have a world of  free beings, with all its risks, than a world of people who did right like machines because they couldn’t do anything else. The more we succeed in imagining what a world of perfect automatic beings would be like, the more, I think, we shall see His wisdom.” – CS Lewis, The Trouble with X

And from “The Screwtape letters,”

“You must have often wondered why the Enemy does not make more use of His power to be sensibly present to human souls in any degree He chooses and at any moment. But you now see that the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of His scheme forbids Him to use. Merely to over-ride a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them, will not serve. He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be.” -CS Lewis

Lewis also says this in “The Problem of Pain,”

“If God’s moral judgement differs from ours so that our ‘black’ may be His ‘white’, we can mean nothing by calling Him good; for to say ‘God is good’, while asserting that His goodness is wholly other than ours, is really only to say ‘God is we know not what’. And an utterly unknown quality in God cannot give us moral grounds for loving or obeying Him. If He is not (in our sense) ‘good’ we shall obey, if at all, only through fear — and should be equally ready to obey an omnipotent Fiend. The doctrine of Total Depravity — when the consequence is drawn that, since we are totally depraved, our idea of God is worth simply nothing — may thus turn Christianity into a form of devil-worship.”

Enough said…

And, NO there is no evidence that CS Lewis later recanted these views, in case someone is wondering.

Piper also suggests that “Arminians” are more philosophical and less exegetical in their approach to interpretation.  This is simply untrue and Dr. Piper never provides any support to back up this accusation.  I discuss some of these issues more in-depth in THIS PODCAST: “Influenced by the “enemy?”.

Listen to the Podcast: “CS Lewis debating John Piper over Calvinism“

Dr. Roger Olson, a notable Arminian scholar, also rebuts Piper’s statements HERE.

Dr. Leighton Flowers teaches several courses related to systematic theology and soteriology at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. You can audit these courses or talk to us about starting your own journey at Trinity today by filling out the evaluation form to the right of this article. 

The post Was C.S. Lewis a Calvinist? first appeared on Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary.

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