A Misunderstanding
I know, I know… I promised Ephesians 1 and Romans 8… That’s next time. I had a BFO…
Romans 10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This is the verse most quoted to me by Evangelical Calvinists as a defeat of Reformed Calvinism. I struggled with it for quite some time, though not like you might think. Most people would assume that the nature of my struggling was an attempt to rationalize my belief in the face of a compelling argument against it - or to find a way to explain it away. (more…)
Our DNA
God has for each of you a DNA - not just a physical DNA but also a spiritual DNA
This quote is from the commencement address at ICS Uijongbu, delivered by Dr. Josephine Kim of Harvard University - a former ICS graduate - on Saturday May 26, 2007 and it blew out the left side of my head! I almost couldn’t contain the outburst that welled up inside me at hearing her say this, and for the whole rest of her speech, I don’t think I hear anything she said because I couldn’t stop mulling over this quote and plumbing the depths of its implications. It is probably going to be the springboard of a long series of discussions as I intend to unpack the doctrines that have most significantly impacted my life over the last few years - that is the doctrines of soteriology as innumerated by John Calvin. Now I say it that way instead of saying Calvinism because it is not as though I believe them for any merit I see in Calvin. I simply believe these doctrines on the basis of the Bible first and foremost and the conclusions of my own logical journey through the philosophical issues - with the Bible as my filter. (more…)
My Latest BFO
For those of you who don’t know, BFO stands for Blinding Flash of the Obvious - a little something I stole from Matt Pierson at Scioto Hills. You could call it an epiphany, but I like BFO b/c most of the time it’s something I already knew or was right in front of my face that I suddenly see again or in a new light or in a new way that makes me stand back and go “WHOAH!!!!!!!!!!” (and usually ‘holy crap’ and shake my head a few times. My wife can testify to this. I love BFO’s!!!) (more…)