Parchment & Pen Blog

This book will be written chapter-by-chapter through the Parchment & Pen blog. The printed form of the book, along with a study guide, will be released in connection with the DVD/Workbook study entitled: The Discipleship Program. A projected release date is May 2011. During the time of the “Enlightenment” of the seventeenth century, the western world “woke [...]

I am so often torn by my own sinfulness to the point of despair. I wonder, “How can a Christian such as myself be so sinful?” This is because I know myself. If you know yourself well enough (and are not in denial), I imagine you often say the same thing. I am comforted by the fact that [...]

Added to the “and other stupid statements series.” During my ordination, one of the questions that I was asked by a seminary professor was “Are all sins equal in the sight of God?” I hesitated. Not because I did not have a strong opinion on this, but because I was not sure what the answer [...]

Ten years ago I had it all figured out. Theology was perfect. My passions filled with the progressively growing belief that I was going to make a difference—a big difference. If people were in need, I could fix it . . . or at least direct them to the right way to fix it. I had all [...]

I have had several requests lately for my “Red Stuff” sermon. Here it is. What is “Red Stuff”? You will have to listen. What is your “red stuff”?

Red Stuff [ 44:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I love Michael Patton’s authenticity.  The way he exposes his faults and failures in such a public forum is both refreshing and encouraging.  In fact, when I was writing my personal statement for my seminary application, I was so  strongly encouraged by his openness that I wrote it in a way I would not have [...]

I would love to see it. You think that I get in trouble? Title of Martin Luther’s Post: “Sin Boldly” Maybe that would be the title of his blog. Maybe that would be a post. One thing is for certain—Luther was a blogger before blogging was cool. As you know, in blogging, one must continually [...]

Here is the situation: We are born with a propensity, bent, inclination to sin. Therefore, we cannot help but sin – it is our nature. Yet when we do act according to our nature and sin, we are held guilty by God and ultimately condemned to eternal punishment. Not only this, but we are already condemned for the [...]

Continuing with our subject of the difficult doctrine of imputation, we now move to an interpretation of Romans 5. The question has come down to this: Is it possible that Adam’s sin has been credited or imputed to us in such a way that all men are born guilty of this sin of another before we ever exercise [...]

In the last post we discussed the problem of Original Sin, especially from an Evangelical Reformed perspective. Are we condemned for the sin of another. Let’s get some basic terminology down so that we can surf this wave with more balance. Proposed three types of sin: Personal Sin: Sins committed by the individual. All people [...]

The concept of “Original Sin” has long been a vital part of Christian Orthodoxy yet is being challenged and redefined by many in the Church today. Even conservatives are beginning to question the validity of the traditional Evangelical understanding of the doctrine asking questions of its legitimacy in its current form of understanding. Perhaps John Calvin [...]

In a previous post I put this question forward: Would Christ have died had he not been killed? The question is brought about by our pondering upon Christ’s identification with humanity and humanity’s identification with sin and death. Since Christ did not sin, and death is a result of sin, then wouldn’t it be systematic [...]