Not sure if you have had a chance to download it yet, but I have created a theological toolbar that acts as a portal to the web. It has, what I consider to be, the best Bible sites, blogs, podcasts, and resources that have great integrity. It is much better than a random Google search!

It is one of the most popular toolbars that has been built through the Conduit platform. So much so that they want me to do a commercial ad!

Anyway, it is very clean and easy to install. If you don’t like it, uninstall it.

Here is the link: http://reclaimingthemind.ourtoolbar.com/

Have fun and let me know if you have any suggestions.

Oh, and spread the word!

In no certain order:

My mother: Although she is much different today (due to her state of mind after the stroke), she stood as rock for the faith all my life, never losing her passion for the lost and showing me this by example everyday.

Dan Wallace: Beyond the brilliance, Dan’s commitment to the truth above all other things has set so much of the tone of my thought that I cannot overstate his influence. As well, I don’t know of any scholar whom I have met that combines such a pastoral, down to earth tone, with unmatched academics. My favorite quote: “We follow the truth, not prejudice.”

Chuck Swindoll: Grace. He taught me about grace and it saved my and set the course for all of my thoughts, hopes, and aspirations in ministry. I want to have a passion for grace the way he does. My favorite quote: “Don’t take yourself too seriously . . . no one else does.”

Mark Hitchcock: Steadfast and committed to the preaching of the word. I have never heard a better Bible teacher nor someone so loyal to people. He and his church sent me to seminary and paid all the tuition. He has been an encourager to me from the day I started ministry until now and always serves as an anchor for my attitude. Continue Reading »

The term “canon” refers to the accepted books of the Scriptures. The Protestant canon contains 66 books, while other Christian traditions will vary, adding a few books often referred to as the Deuterocanonical books (“second canon”) or the “Apocrypha.” A commonly accepted understanding among most Christians of all traditions is that the books that belong in the Scripture cannot be added to. In other words, the canon is “closed.”

While there is a sense in which I believe the canon is closed, there is also a sense in which I don’t believe the canon is closed. Let me explain.

In order to maintain that the canon is closed, most Christians would refer the the first few centuries of the church. In particular councils such as Rome, Hippo, and Carthage, as well as Athanasius’ Easter Letter will be referred to as evidence that the canon of the New Testament had closed. The Old Testament, according to most, was already established and closed by the time of Christ. For this, reference would be made to the New Testament itself, as well as the testimony of Josephus, Philo, and some of the inter-testamental works.

My contention with this assumption is that to say that the canon is “closed” needs to be understood more in an observational way rather than an authoritative pronouncement. The term “closed” might not be the best word since it implies a necessary finality concerning the contents of Scripture. This is something that I don’t believe we can say in the way that we often say it for two primary reasons:

1. Scripture itself does not limit the canon to 66 books. No matter how hard you look, one would be hard pressed to find a place that definitely “closes” the canon. Revelation 22:18-19 is often referred to as evidence:

Revelation 22:18-19: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

The problem with using this passage is that it is specific to the book of Revelation. Just because the book of Revelation occurs last in our canon does not mean that this warning serves as a book end for the entire Bible. It is meant to communicate a general statement about those who would be tempted to add to or take away from God’s word in general, and to the book of Revelation in specific. Yet the same warning is given in the book of Deuteronomy and the Proverbs:

Deuteronomy 4:2: You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.

Proverbs 30:6: Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Does this mean that once Deuteronomy or Proverbs were complete that no one was supposed to add any other books? I don’t know anyone who would make that argument. Continue Reading »

I remember back in seminary, there was a small yet militant movement of students who were evangelists of the anti-birth control movement. They were not against it because the believed it was an attempt to control God’s plan, but because they believed that all birth control, save “fertility awareness” and condoms, caused abortions.

This put a great deal of fear into me and my wife as we certainly did not want to be responsible for unknowingly aborting one of our children. For the next six months I researched this. Randy Alcorn was the primary apologist against ”the pill,” Depo-Provera, and most all other types of hormonal methods of birth control as he believed that they often caused abortions of fertilized eggs. 

However, I was surprised that this was the first time I was hearing about this. I wondered how this information could be so secret, even among the most conservative of the Christian family ministries and anti-abortion advocates. This gave me a great deal of skepticism.

Others are against birth control because they believe, like Catholics, that it is nothing more than neglecting the sovereign will of God in favor of your own will. This group believes that if it is God’s will then we should not attempt to stand in the way. Therefore, this group does not advocate any sort of birth control at all.

Concerning whether the pill causes abortions:

Pro: Randy Alcorn

Con: Rich Poupard part 1; part 2; part 3

Anyway, enough of an introduction. Birth control and the Christian—thoughts? Do you use birth control? Why or why not?

I am excited to announce that we are now taking orders for P66/Bodmer II facsimile. This is the earliest manuscript of John 1 that we know of. It is a great piece to have with so much essential theology. The first line reads, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and God was the word” (my translation). Dating to A.D. 200, what a great witness to the eternal nature of Jesus Christ and his distinction from and unity with the Father.  

Check it out.

Also, don’t forget to check out P52.

If you have every thought about taking a course in The Theology Program, School of Theology, online or at the Credo House in Edmond OK, now is the time as classes are getting ready to start. Enroll now | Find out more | TTP Video Tutorial

Courses offered:

• Introduction to Theology
• Bibliology and Hermeneutics
• Trinitarianism
• World Religions

When: Tuesday Evenings

Cost: $100

Scholarships are available.

For questions or to request a scholarship, contact Carrie at 877-362-3520 or carrie@reclaimingthemind.org.

From Jean Dorlus, President of STEP Seminary in Haiti:

“Dear Friends,
 
You probably have heard of the powerful earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday evening. My family (Barbara, Kendall and Kourtney) is safe.
The damage done is beyond description, it is just horrific. No one can be sure yet to the exact number of victims but the estimate from some of the international organizations working in the country is in the hundreds of thousands of people dead. 

As for the seminary campus, many students, staff, faculty, and I were in the main academic building when major parts of it collapsed. Miraculously a lot of us were able to get out, those who were trapped in the building were rescued except for two that are not accounted for. The damage done to the building is beyond repair. We have a lot of dead and injured people very close by in the neighborhood around the campus area. As I went home last night to check on my family, the lost was so great in the areas that I stopped counting bodies.
 
We are as well as most haitians are sleeping outside because of the severe aftershocks that continue and the cracks done to some of the homes. PLease pray for us, as we find out what to do and how to go forward.
 
The Internet connection is not working properly and the phone lines are down, but as I find more information I will communicate them to you all.
 
Jean Dorlus
President of STEP Seminary”

Faith Bible Church in Edmond, OKLA is requesting relief funding for the seminary, its faculty and students.

Here is the message:

“I am requesting gifts to this fund to provide humanitarian aid for our faculty and staff and their families at STEP Seminary.  I have not received any updates to earlier emails, but there has been substantial damage on the campus, with the collapse of several buildings, injuries and possible deaths.  These gifts will be used to provide for the basic needs of our people to include medical care, food, water, housing, clothing and transportation if required.  These funds will be managed and disbursed by the management team of the seminary, under the leadership of Dr. Jean Dorlus.  You may make gifts through Faith Bible Church by marking in the memo section of your check – STEP Relief.  If you have any questions, you may contact me at [405] 562-4332.  Thank you and please keep Haiti in your prayers.

-Dave Gallman”

Faith Bible Church
600 North Coltrane Road
Edmond, OK 73034-6675

I don’t know how well respected Technorati still is (it used to be, but they have gone through some creditability issues), but it is nice to see that Parchment and Pen is in the top ten of religious blogs.

http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/living/religion/

That is kinda cool.

Thanks to you all for a great year. Hopefully this next will be even better.

OK, I am going to try this again. Each Friday, I am going to expose our audience to another blog that I find interesting and valuable out in the blogsphere.

Today, I would like to introduce you to New Creation Person, a blog by Carl Gobelman. It is a confessingly Reformed blog that is well put together.

What I like most is his format on many of his posts. He follows a “Question” and “Answer” pattern that is very helpful and easy to read.

One of the questions is called: Is it OK to get mad at God? Here is his answer:

Question: What do you tell a person who is mad at God because He will not give her the kind of job she wants?

Answer:  This is a very interesting question.  The first thing to consider is whether or not this person is a Christian.  If she is not a Christian, then the most appropriate response would be to show Christian love to her by empathizing with her situation and try to take an opportunity to explain why God doesn’t necessarily grant every desire we have.  The unbeliever will never fully understand the things of God because their hearts are hardened toward him (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14).

Want the rest, you are going to have to go to his blog.

My very first book “True for You, But Not for Me”—the one with the purple cover—came out in 1998. The reason I wrote the book was that no one was really offering an accessible, practical step-by-step guide to commonly-heard relativistic and pluralistic slogans. Thankfully, the book found its niche and has done very well, and it is used as a textbook in Christian colleges and universities as well as a book study for many small-group discussions and adult Sunday school classes. Moreover, I have been heartened and encouraged by many letters and people, informing me how instrumental the book has been in their own lives.

Ten years later, I started working on a second edition (the one with the white cover), not realizing how much effort would be required to pull this off. “True” 2.0 has been significantly expanded (half a dozen or so new chapters) and completely overhauled; I left very few sentences unrevised. The result is, in my estimation, a much stronger, updated book that more effectively cuts through today’s thickening relativistic and pluralistic haze, offering a defense of objective truth and morality as well as of the uniqueness of Christ in the face of the world’s religions. I have posted an study guide online for small-group discussion at my website, www.paulcopan.com.

I hope you’ll help spread the word and put in a good word for the book in places like Amazon.com. To make the job easier, I’ve included the new table of contents as well as endorsements from Lee Strobel, J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, Gary Habermas, Mark Mittelberg, and Kenneth Samples. Thanks to many of you for contributing to the success of the first edition. May God’s Spirit use the second edition as well for the advancement of His kingdom! Continue Reading »