The Plowman

We come to that article, finally, that defines what it means to be Southern Baptist. Not just Baptist, but Southern Baptist. Evangelism and missions are the two reasons that Baptists in the United States came together in 1845 to form the Southern Baptist Convention. The North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board are the two agencies that make up the organizational bulk, and is the very heart of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is known around the world for its second-to-none missions organization, and their passionate commitment to reaching the lost for Christ with their 5000-plus army of full-time missionaries on the foreign mission field. Since the devastating hurricane disasters in 2005, the North American Mission Board, NAMB for short, has earned a reputation for first-class rapid response in domestic disaster relief, especially in the areas of providing hot meals and fresh, clean water. NAMB also sends missionaries to plant churches here in America, rural as well as urban, in areas where Baptist churches are not the norm.

Article 11 marks the beginning of the articles that define what we do, not just what we believe. The first ten articles have laid the ground for what we do, for what we are suppose to do as ambassadors for Christ. Article by article we have created a giant mosaic called a biblical world view. In that biblical world view we have rightly assayed the character of God, of man, the dilemma that exists between God and man, and the reconciliation to that dilemma that is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Now that we have all of this information, it is time to do something with it. Coming to these truths for the first time, if you are not a Christian, your first responsibility is to bow the knee, repent of your sins, and confess Christ as your Lord and Savior. After that, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to go and tell, to make disciples of all the nations, on our block, in our town, and around the world. Let’s look now at Evangelism and Missions.

XI. Evangelism and Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.

We have the duty to evangelize: Christ commands us not once, but five times to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-49, John 20:21-23, and Acts 1:8). Paul tells the Romans that he is under an obligation to preach (Romans 1:14-17). He later states that Christ sent him to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Paul adamantly declares that necessity is laid upon him, and goes on to proclaim “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” Paul commands his young brother in Christ, Timothy, to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Peter declares in Acts 10:42 that “he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”

We have the privilege of evangelizing: In Romans 1 above where Paul announces his obligation to preach the gospel, he is quick to add, just one verse later, that he is eager to preach to those in Rome. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Paul describes the preaching of the gospel as something he has been entrusted with.

Indeed, what a great duty and privilege it is to evangelize. God does not need us, but He stoops down and uses us, allowing us to share in the joy that He has in the salvation of lost sinners, in the ever-increasing worship brought about by new believers being brought into the fellowship of the redeemed.

The new birth of man’s spirit by God’s Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.

I am surprised that no reference to John’s first epistle is given in this article’s listed Scripture passages. John repeatedly makes the connection between love for God and love for our fellow man ( 1 John 3:10, 11, 14, 16-18, 23, 4:7-12, 19-21). We therefore should have a desire and make every effort to obey our Lord’s commands, using the means He has given us, to proclaim the gospel to a lost and perishing world. We preach to the lost, realizing that we were once lost, without hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12), and someone had compassion on us and shared the good news that Jesus saves sinners.

The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

The above underlined parts are new to the 2000 version. They represent a strengthening of the 1963 version, which at this point reads: It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ. Notice the differences. First, notice that all Christians are commanded. The five verses listed in the introduction, as well as the passages listed in the “we have a duty” section above, bear clear witness to this fact. Secondly, notice that we are not commanded by one of the apostles, but by Jesus Christ Himself, who is our Lord. Thirdly, notice that our duty to seek the salvation of the lost is by means of the spoken word. The new wording has replaced personal effort with verbal witnessing undergirded by a Christian lifestyle. Verbal witnessing leaves no doubt that we are to proclaim the gospel to the lost, whereas personal effort is not quite so clear. Notice also that our walk needs to correspond with our talk. Our lifestyle has to back up, or undergird our message. We most certainly must live before the world as examples of obedience to Christ, but a godly lifestyle is not enough. We must go and tell. We must be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us] (1 Peter 3:15). As Paul points out in Romans 10:13-15, salvation comes primarily by means of the preached word: For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? and how are they to hear without someone preaching? and how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Conclusion
When it comes to evangelism, we are all evangelists. We should, therefore, prepare ourselves by constant study and meditation upon God’s word. We should be eager to tell the world about our great Savior. When it comes to missions, we only have two options: to go or to send. If we go, our churches, through the Cooperative Program, send us out with their funding and their prayers. If we send, our joyful giving to our church, through the Cooperative Program and our constant, earnest prayers are a must.

Verses Listed Under Article 11: Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.

Previous Lessons:
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5 (On God the Son
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #6 (On God the Holy Spirit)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #7 (On the Doctrine of Man)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (On the Doctrine of Salvation)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (Continued) (On the Doctrine of Salvation)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #9 (On God’s Purpose of Grace)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #10 (On the Doctrine of The Church)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #11 (On Baptism and the Lord’s Supper)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #12 (On The Lord’s Day)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #13 (On The Kingdom of God and Last Things)

What do we as Baptists believe about the kingdom of God and the last things? We are going to look at these two articles together, because they are very much related to one another. The only thing that really separates these two articles is the concept of time. Article 9, on the Kingdom, has to do with God’s sovereign rein here and now, in time and space. Article 10 deals with the wrapping up of history and God’s glorious plan of redemption, and the peering beyond time and space into eternity, where all that is wrong here and now will be set right forever.

When we combine these two articles for consideration it makes it easier to see that the Kingdom of God has two aspects: the already, and the not yet. We can see the already when we read passages like Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. We can see the not yet in passages like 1 Corinthians 15:25: For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The future fulfillment of the kingdom of God can also be seen in passages like Revelation 21:4: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Article 9 clearly and accurately teaches that God’s Kingdom is already here, firmly in place, and yet we can plainly see from our surroundings that not everything is as it should be. The final consummation of the age will only take place when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

You may have noticed as we have moved farther from the first articles to the latter articles in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, that these latter articles have been less detailed than the first articles. Those first articles on Scripture, God, and man deal with vital doctrines of the Christian faith. We need a fairly detailed and concrete statement on these doctrines. Perhaps as you have noticed items missing as we have discussed latter issues. That is especially true here. Why is there no mention of the role of the church in government in Article 9? Why is there no talk of a millennium, a rapture, or the tribulation? The reason for this is that among Southern Baptists there are several views concerning these matters. Let’s look now at Articles 9 and 10.

IX. The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ.

These two sentences pretty much wraps up the entirety of the concept of the God’s kingdom. An earthly kingdom is always defined by two distinctives: land and possessions, and subjects. God’s kingdom is this way too. He has a general sovereignty which extends over all of what He has created, which is everything. There is nothing too large, nor anything too small or insignificant to fall beyond the sovereign care of God. All of the earth belongs to God (Exodus 19:5), His are the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and even the roll of the dice are determined by God (Proverbs 16:33). Even a sparrow falling to the ground is not outside of the domain of our God (Matthew 10:29). In a more specific sense, God’s kingdom is made up of men and women, boys and girls who have bowed the knee to Him. When questioned about His kingship, Jesus told Pilate “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). As we mentioned above, just before His ascension Jesus told His disciples that all authority had been given to Him, in heaven and on earth, and yet His only directive to them was to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

Right out of the model prayer (Matthew 6:9,10) that our Lord gave his disciples, and us, we are to desire the coming of the fullness of the consummation of the age. We are to long for that day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns (Hebrews 9:28). This last sentence rightly assesses the situation, that the full consummation, or completion, of this kingdom waits for one thing and one thing only: the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. More about that in the next article.

Scripture passages listed with this Article: Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.

X. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

As I pointed out above, there is no mention of millennium, rapture, or tribulation in this article. Only what is vital to this doctrine is mentioned here, and that is the way it should be. Here is what really matters when discussing the Last Things:

• God is on His timetable, not ours. Nothing anybody does or can do is able to speed up or hold up God’s perfect plan (2 Peter 3:8,9).
• Jesus will return, personally, visibly, physically. He will judge all men in righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:10).
• There is a Hell, and those who are unrighteous will go there at the last judgment, to be punished for ever (Mark 9:47,48, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Jude 1:7).
• The righteous will be reunited with their bodies, but they will be glorified, Just like Jesus (1 John 3:2), absent of corruption of any kind, perfect in every way.
• We will live in Heaven for ever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Scripture passages listed with this Article: Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.

Previous Lessons:
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5 (On God the Son
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #6 (On God the Holy Spirit)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #7 (On the Doctrine of Man)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (On the Doctrine of Salvation)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (Continued) (On the Doctrine of Salvation)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #9 (On God’s Purpose of Grace)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #10 (On the Doctrine of The Church)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #11 (On Baptism and the Lord’s Supper)
Baptist, What Do You Believe? #12 (On The Lord’s Day)

Waterless Clouds

A Three-Button Sweat

It sure has been a hot summer here in Tulsa. Here is a couple of pics demonstrating tripple digits. We did get a little over an inch of rain Monday evening, but that just made Tuesday unbearable. Besides, we are so far behind on rain for the year that 40 days and 40 nights wouldn’t be enough.
Check out the other Friday Photos at Flickr. There are some “cool” pictures of water that will help you beat the heat.

Same Great Oinos with Only a Quarter of the Calories (and Gladness of Heart, Too)
Well, If you haven’t read it, you certainly have heard of the bomb-shell research Dr. Mohler alluded to in his now-famous declaration of total abstinence over the air waves last Wednesday on his radio show. For a refresher course, or if you don’t know anything about what I am speaking, you can check out my post from a couple of days ago. I have since obtained and read this scholarly work by Dr. Robert Stein, and find it quite interesting. After reading it, I am curious why Dr. Mohler mentioned it all, for instead of advocating a total-abstinence position, such as Dr. Mohler was verbalizing, it called for a mixed, or watered-down approach to wine consumption. With the aid of primary sources from the ancient Greeks, the intertestamental Rabinic texts, and the early church fathers, an acceptable wine would be a wine that had been mixed one part wine to three parts water. Curious as to how this would taste, I decided to conduct an experiment. I felt like I was back in organic chemistry lab at college. With one ounce of Mogen David (Dr. Stein specifically mentioned this as a possible choice.) and adding three ounces of water you get what you see in the photograph above. Noticed how much darker the contents of the bottle are by comparison. How did it taste? Not bad. Not bad, at all. I tell you what: I’ll go for it if Dr. Mohler will. Now, about changing the wording of Article VII, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 back to the original wording found in the 1925 Baptist Faith and Message (then Article XIII).

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The act is a symbol of our faith in a crucified, buried and risen Saviour. It is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the Lord’s Supper, in which the members of the church, by the use of bread and wine, commemorate the dying love of Christ.

I plan to post a more in-depth, serious piece in a few days concerning Dr. Stein’s paper, but for now, this will have to do.

R. C. Sproul tells of Rome’s opposition to Martin Luther for translating the Bible into the German language:

They warned, for example, that letting the laymen read the Bible could open a floodgate of iniquity. Luther responded to that by saying, yes, a floodgate of iniquity could be opened by unskilled people. That is why God has put teachers in the church. But he also said the basic message essential for every Christian to understand was so clear, so manifest, that a child could understand it. It is so important and so worthwhile that if it risks the opening a floodgate of iniquity, Luther said, so be it.
R. C. Sproul, Now That’s a Good Question (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), p. 226.

Legalism in the church hasnt changed much in 1500 years:

But those who argue with me argue with all sincerity. To them, it is I who have “destroyed” the gospel. If I don’t agree to their prohibitions and mandates, then my gospel is not truly the gospel of the Bible, and I am the one who is marring the gospel. I believe they look at the gospel through a filter. Maybe it is the filter of their upbringing, past personal disappointments or failures, or simply fear that a simple gospel, without certain prohibitions will lead to licentiousness.

Wade Burleson, Grace and Truth to You, Sunday, August 13, 2006

Well, Dr. Albert Mohler didn’t make it. Dr. Mohler’s comments on alcohol consumption, which he made last Wednesday on his radio show were a disappointment, but no surprise. I don’t want to be guilty of playing favorites, so I better say what needs to be said. I do like Dr. Mohler. I share his nuanced view of the doctrines of Grace. I listen to his week-day radio show via podcast regularly. He’s right on the money on most everything, every thing that is important, at least. The topics he covers on his program are usually current and relevant issues facing our culture, and he always has a solid Christ-centered approach to his commentary. On Wednesdays he has a format called “Ask Anything Wednesday”, where the callers are free to ask virtually any kind of question. This last Wednesday (August 9) A lady simply asked him what his views on alcohol were. This segment occurs 22 minutes, 45 seconds into the program. Pastor Ben Cole very kindly has made available a written transcript of Dr. Mohler’s statement.
Dr. Mohler’s position wasn’t news to me. Several weeks back, I stumbled across an audio file of a student forum on the alcohol consumption policy at SBTS, that Dr. Mohler and Dr. Russell Moore conducted at SBTS sometime earlier this year. It was a very interesting forum, lasting about 57 minutes. Dr. Mohler’s opening statement was especially informative, starting off with a history of the SBC’s position on alcohol consumption, beginning with the SBC’s roots in protestant revivalism of the mid 19th century, to the women’s temperance movement, and through prohibition, which he describes as “a failed cultural experiment.” He explains those movements’ views on the “evils of alcohol”, but you clearly get the flavor that Dr. Mohler also embraces these views as his own. Within the framework of a history lesson, as only he can do, Dr. Mohler articulately and smoothly makes a compelling argument in favor of total abstinence, based, not on Scriptural evidence, but based solely upon a social arguments.

What can I say. He’s just plain wrong. In much the same way as the other big wigs of the SBC have done before him, he has effectively denied the sufficiency of scripture, by going outside of scripture to mandate something that God’s word does not mandate. We all have areas of inconsistency in our theology. This just happens to be one of those areas for Dr. Mohler. On the whole, I haven’t wrung my hands over the situation this time. This simply is not as big of a deal as the others who have weighed in before him, for one simple reason: Dr. Mohler didn’t go running to the press to let everybody know what his views on alcohol were. A lady called in to his program and asked him what his views were, and he told her (and us). Dr. Mohler isn’t attempting to discredit pastors Burleson or Cole, or anybody else. He simply answered a direct question, honestly and candidly. Dr. Mohler is one of the most transparent, guileless men in the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the best spokesman and representative the SBC has. I am surprised, however, that his close friends Ligon Duncan, and C.J. Mahaney haven’t had a greater influence on him with regard to the alcohol issue. Maybe they will now.

Personally, I think an abstinence policy at our seminaries is a good idea, just as long as it is for the right reasons. What would I like to hear in an abstinence statement from a seminary president? It would look something like this:

In light of the intense focus we have here at Southern in preparing these young men and women for service in Christian ministry at home and abroad, and in light of their relative youth and inexperience in judgment, in regard to the consumption of beverage alcohol, we feel it is best to have a total abstinence policy in place. In order to show our student body that we would not require of them something that we would not hold ourselves to, the faculty and staff have also committed themselves to this higher standard during our time here at Southern seminary.

The only real statement I have heard on total abstinence that does not deny the sufficiency of Scripture has come from my pastor, Rod Harris. It is short and to the point: “Knowing my propensity to excess in other areas, I just figure I very well might have trouble with alcohol. It has never interested me, and I think it would be best if I abstained.” Now, there is an abstinence statement that I can respect.

[Editorial note, 07/17/07: Apparently the SB o TC has removed the content associated with the link below, as it is now a dead link. They must not have been very proud of their performance.]

My wife is amazing. She had carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand last Wednesday. By Monday she had had all she could take, after reading the comments for five days over at Southern Baptists of Texas Convention blog. With her right hand in a brace, and strict orders from her doctor not to do such nonsense with said right hand, she procedes to bang out a comment on the alcohol debate over there, giving them what-for. She’s right on the money, too. It’s all about being counted righteous in Christ, and not blaming anything or anybody else for your sin. It’s just you and the exceeding sinfulness of your own sin. If you’ve ever argued with her daddy, you’d know better than to tangle with Mrs. Farmer Brown. Go check it out. She made me proud.

Jackets laid aside, white shirt sleeves rolled up, and women waving cardboard fans, it looked and felt like a brush arbor meeting. To get the feel for our meeting Sunday morning, after the air conditioning blew up, listen to the “Call to Worship” and “Offertory Music” located in the side bar. The message was good too. You need to hear it. It was all about Jesus and Christian Morality.
In the offertory music, the duet rumblings you hear in the background are our beloved music man, Jim, humming along with the piano, and our “building” man, Bob, explaining to Pastor Rod what’s going on with the air conditioning. Anyone is welcome to download the offertory music file for private, non-commercial use. Enjoy.

I’ve been tagged by Brother Bishop (Jeff) Young.

Now, I will start off by saying that I am not going to abide by the rules. I’m 50 years old, and I’ve got more than one book that did this or did that. I also contemplated bogus answers to mess with your minds, when I realized that the real answers would do more damage than anything else. I am sure no one would be surprised to read that a horticulturist had been meaning to read Hortus Third, or that he would want Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop, by Euell Gibbons on a desert island. So here they are. Enjoy.

1. One book that changed your life: The Trinity Hymnal, 1976 edition, and The Second London Confesson; then later in 1991, Desiring God, by John Piper.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. First as required reading in high school, a number of years later as an adult. I didn’t get it in high school, but later I did. Along with the other two books in the trilogy, this novel is a powerful alegory dealing with sin and redemption. I have also found it necessary to reread The Time is at Hand, by Jay Adams.
3. One book that you’d want on a desert island: Other than the Bible, Saint Augustin’s Confessions, in Latin. Depending on how long I’d be there, This would be a great opportunity to brush up on my Latin and my prayer life at the same time.
4. One book that made you laugh: Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days’ Goofiness, by Nathan D. Wilson, and The Mantra of Jabez: Break on Through to the Other Side, by Douglas M. Jones.
5. One book that made you cry: Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson, and probably Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot.
6. One book that you wish you had written: Here’s the list:

• Hermeneutics for Dummies (and Southern Baptists)
• Wine, Women, and Song: Reclaiming the Culture by Taking Every Thought Captive to Obey Christ
• Beware the Calvinistas: Memoirs of Twenty-five years in a Small, Rural, Independent, Reformed-Baptist Church, with Plural Eldership
  
• Psalam et Mente: Recovering the Hymnody of the Puritans, and Beyond
• Living in the House at Pooh Corner - the Blessings of Dad Reading to His Children
  
• I Learned More About Human Nature in the Hen House than Anywhere Else
• Baking Your Own Bread and Breast Feading Don’t Make You More Holy (This one would be authored by my wife.)
• “Do You Work?” - Confessions of a Homicidal Housewife at the Grocery Checkout (Also by my wife.)

7. One book you wish had never been written: Systematic Theology, by Charles Finney, and the Scofield Reference Bible, edited and annotated by Cyrus I. Scofield.
8. One book that you are currently reading: By His Grace and for His Glory, by Thomas J. Nettles, Mark Dever’s little book By Whose Authority?, and I have just finished Timothy George’s book Amazing Grace: God’s Inititative - Our Response. This last book is a very easy read. Even an Arminian pastor could read it, and I think, enjoy it.
9. One book that you’ve been meaning to read: Calvin’s Institutes. I have used it as a reference for years, but have never had the time, or discipline to crack open page one and stick it out to the end. I would also love to read the new (anything less than five years old is new to me.) Whitfield biography by Arnold Dallimore, and also Iaian Murray’s biography on Lloyd-Jones. Obviously, these are all large large two-volume sets, so I probably won’t get around to them until I retire, or throw my computer away.

I am supposed to tag four people. Nuts on that. This sounds too much like a chain letter. I think I may be the last blogger in the world to have been tagged, so those thousands of dollar bills will never begin pouring into my in-box. I have noticed that some of you out there have admitted to being tagged more than once. Look, if you haven’t been tagged, and feel left out, drop me a comment, and I will tag you. Fair enough? Now I’ve got to get busy on my Sunday-school lesson.

Love in Christ,

Wayne Hatcher
a horticulturist by profession,
a truck driver by necessity,
and a child of the King, by the Grace of God

Cheese Toast 2
Originally uploaded by Wayne Hatcher.

I have been thrashing it out this week with some folks over at www.sbtexas.com/blog. over alcohol the sufficiency of Scripture. To understand the full meaning of the cheese toast, you need to go over there and read the comments under the post “Biblical inerrancy and alcohol use by Christians”.

Don’t forget to view all of the other Friday Photos at the Friday Photo Group at Flickr.

Have a good weekend.