Repentance Defended Against Antinomian Heresy: A Brief Defense of the Indubitable Biblical Fact that Repentance is a Change of Mind that Always Results in a Change of Action, part 1
For approximately the first two-thousand years of Baptist history, Baptist churches—the churches established by the Lord Jesus Christ—have defended the fact that when a lost sinner repents and is born again, a change of action will necessarily follow. The fact that repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action is […]
The Worldview of Romney and Ryan and the 2012 Presidential Election
Romney and Ryan are the first non-Protestant combination Presidential and Vice-Presidential ticket in the history of American elections. America has been characteristically a Baptist/Protestant country, much of which stems from what was left in Europe. This flies in the face of a national history-long trend. I actually don’t think that President Obama and Vice President […]
Lure Them In, pt. 4
Part One Part Two Part Three Jesus used a fishing metaphor to describe evangelism. In Matthew 4:19, He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” I’ve noticed that people then take that analogy and go further with it than what Jesus does. They talk about “findin’ good fishin’ spots,” “spots where […]
Representative Quotations from the Earliest Christian Writings— Are These Men Trinitarians or Arians?
This is a continuation of part 4 here. The entire study, under the title Did the Trinity Come from Paganism? is available here and here. The allegation that Trinitarianism was invented in A. D. 325 at the Council of Nicea, or even later, is a historical monstrosity. William G. T. Shedd writes: “[T]he following particulars . . . which […]
The Hyles-Schaap Fallacies
Because of the size, scope of influence, and history of First Baptist Church in Hammond, IN (FBC), the recent sinful acts by Jack Schaap generated a lot of reaction. The responses are an interesting window into people’s understanding of the Bible and God’s work. Several tried to make a tie between Hyles-Schaap and all independent, […]
Deconstructing Jack Schaap
Under the leadership of Jack Hyles, beginning in 1959 in Hammond, IN, First Baptist Church became the largest attended church in the world. Before he died, he made sure his successor would be his son-in-law, husband of his daughter Cindy, Jack Schaap. For that reason among others, it was world-wide news, especially religious, when Schaap […]
Did the Trinity Come from Paganism? part 4
This is a continuation of part 3. Actually, unlike Trinitarianism, both Arian and Sabellian or modalistic theology resulted in large measure from the influence of pagan thought upon Christianity. This fact is the affirmation of real historians quoted in context, rather than the creation of quotations slashed and burned from their contexts or from the […]
Lure Them In, pt. 3
Part One. Part Two. Let’s say you had a church that was doing everything that the Bible teaches a church to do, and even does all of them well with real affection toward God. Great expositional, biblical preaching. Widespread, regular, and bold evangelism. Giving. Obedient. Qualified leaders. Practices scriptural discipline. Discipleship. Unsaved people […]
Lure Them In, pt. 2
Part One If you didn’t figure it out already, the title is play on the lyrics to a well-known hymn, Bring Them In. The song contains a nice allusion to what I believe is the parable of the lost sheep. The concept of “lure them in” doesn’t happen in the Bible. “Bring Them In” isn’t […]
Did the Trinity Come from Paganism? part 3
This is a continuation of part 2. When the Unitarians in the Watchtower society wish to prove that the Trinity comes from paganism in general, they quote, more often than any other single reference book[i] in their Should You Believe In the Trinity? the work “The Paganism in Our Christianity [which] declares: ‘The origin of the […]