Parchment & Pen Blog

I can’t believe I forgot to post this, but here it is anyway. (Thank Carrie Hunter—I only contributed in a minor way). On the first day of Christmas my Calvie explained to me, the fallen nature of man. On the second day of Christmas my Calvie explained to me, called and chosen and the fallen [...]

Robert Bowman give a list of the books that have most shaped his life and thought. Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (1972). I became an evangelical Christian in 1974-75, and McDowell’s Evidence was one of the first apologetics books I read. Yes, it was a popular, unsophisticated book, but it got me interested [...]

Just in case you had not heard, we now have the entire curriculum of The Theology Program for free on iTunes as well as all the electives. Introduction to Theology with C. Michael Patton and Rhome Dyck Bibliology and Hermeneutics with C. Michael Patton and Rhome Dyck Trinitarianism with C. Michael Patton and Rhome Dyck [...]

This is a sort excursus or interlude to my series that I think is a valuable part of the discussion. It comes from a friend who responded to my post on prophecy. Please read carefully as I believe his testimony, while you may or may not agree with it, is representative of many disillusioned continuationists/charismatics. [...]

I got this from an unnamed P & P reader and thought I would open this up to you instead of answering it right now. I’m confused. Should we or should we not expect anything from God? The scriptures tells us that Jesus said (Mat 7:7-11) “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will [...]

I’ll confess, I am not big on Christmas.  No, not because I don’t relish celebrating the birth of Christ but because of the superfluous trappings that have melded into obligations.  We generate lists to foster consumerism that encourages overspending and stress.  Decorations and meals and gifts have to fit within the holiday motif to satisfy [...]

HT: Carrie

In the quest for political correctness over the last two decades one of the primary battlegrounds has been centered around Christmas. The phrase “Merry Christmas” and all the public displays associated with it have been considered offensive for a variety of reasons. Pluralists object because it is exclusivistic, those who hold to other faiths feel [...]

Having discussed some of the strengths of the continuationist/charismatic position, I would now like to explain why, at this point in my life, I am not a charismatic. I am going to put these in order, but I want to stress the tentativeness of my conclusion. In this, I am not necessarily offering what I [...]

I first came across the writings of Harold Hoehner when I was in college. He was writing a series of articles for Bibliotheca Sacra (or BibSac, as it is called by folks at DTS) on chronological aspects of Jesus’ life. I was amazed at how he went about establishing the probable date of Jesus’ birth, [...]

[Doug Powell is a guest author and apologist.  His website can be found at www.dougpowell.com] Just in time for the 2008 Christmas season, the American Humanist Association launched a new ad campaign with the message “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” The ads feature a Christmas motif with their snowflakes [...]

In the last post I breifly described what it means to be Charismatic in the theological sense of the word. In essence, it does not necessarily have to do with a belief in God’s intervention in history or his willingness or power to perform modern day miracles, but, properly speaking, it has to do with [...]