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Leaving A Legacy: The Bahnsen Project

9/17/2020

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​The Bible tells us to remember those who spoke the Word of God to us, to "consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith" (Heb. 13:7).

Today marks what would have been the 72nd birthday of Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen. It seems a great day to consider his way of life and imitate his faith.

​While not many within the evangelical church are aware of who he is, as a church we are still benefiting from his work in the ministry during his short time here - specifically in his work in Christian apologetics, philosophy, and ethics.
The phrase "presuppositional apologetics" might be lost on many in the church, but its method and use has continued to increase in popularity even today. Dr. Bahnsen didn't develop the method but he did give it teeth, as demonstrated remarkably in his formal debate ("The Great Debate: Does God Exist?") with Gordon Stein as well as several other debates.

Yet he not only demonstrated this method of defending the faith, but taught it to thousands in the church. And his legacy continues today through various means.

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Book Review: Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications

9/30/2017

 
By far the best book I've read regarding a Biblical view of psychiatry and its practice.

This book is aimed toward pastors and other Christians involved in abundant counseling ministry; but really any Christian could benefit from it. He seems uniquely qualified to write it (having both an M.D. and an M.Div); and the church can benefit greatly from that.

While he rightly doesn't support the use of drugs for something that is a legitimate sin issue, he certainly shows that there truly are issues that should indeed be dealt with from the use of drugs (under the care of a psychiatrist or other medical professional qualified in those drugs).
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Knowing which ones fall into which category is also dealt with. And the answer is that it really depends on the person, the abnormal behavior (whether it's depression, anxiety, hyper-activity, obsessive compulsiveness, mania, etc.). And the goal of course is to get to the root issue that is causing the abnormal behavior. Is it sin? Is it a chemical imbalance? Is it both?

How the person is treated depends on the answers to those questions.

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Fathers, Bring Them Up: A Devotional

8/18/2017

 
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Picture by Deedra Levy
So...as I've written previously that the change of a culture starts at home, here is what I do, in part, to actually fulfill my obligation, of raising up my girls in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4), as God gives me grace and strength (Rom. 11:36).

​Of course, you need to know that this is a very 
flexible schedule. The times can be altered for sure. Also, please don't imagine any of these activities as perfect little sessions. ​​They are not. It's organized chaos with orderly discipline installed as necessary (to the best of my ability as God gives me grace).

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Neil Gorsuch on Trial: A Plea for Biblical Discernment

3/23/2017

 
You may have seen this video come through on your feed in various social media outlets.

You may also see along with it condemnation from godly, Christian men and women who are appalled at the thought of a fetus not being considered a person.
I am not going to blindly defend Neil Gorsuch, but I am going to ask that he be given a fair trial. To be clear, I strongly believe a "fetus" is a person, at the moment of conception. And I strongly oppose the murderous law of human abortion, on which I've written, here, here, here, and here (among other places).

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A Tale of Two Movies

3/10/2017

 
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​Ah, the evangelical reaction to movies. Which one to boycott and which one to see? Or do we boycott both? Or do we see both? I recently read an article by a recent friend of mine on how evangelicals ought to be more proactive rather than so reactive when it comes to cultural engagement. And with him I heartily agree.
But until that time comes, here is my take on the current evangelical reaction. I am truly perplexed at the evangelical response to these two recent (or about to be recent) theatrical film releases. The current response to these films actually seems almost topsy-turvy.

Beauty and the Beast

On the one hand, we have a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast that, according to the director, has a “delicious,” “exclusively gay” moment. And so naturally, very prominent evangelical leaders are calling for a boycott of the film. When I first head about this “moment” I was initially wondering if it was similar to the “moment” in Finding Dory when there’s a split-second scene of two women with a stroller - which obviously means they are “clearly” a homosexual couple (while two mothers at the aquarium while the fathers are at work is not just as plausible is still beyond me).

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Book Review: What's Best Next

1/30/2017

 
I typically don't have much appreciation for many "Christian Living" books (or the entire genre for that matter). But this book in particular is a game changer.

If you're like me in the mind frame of "Christian Living" books/genre, perhaps you'll do better as thinking of this book as part of systematic theology, with the specific study being: ergonology, or the doctrine of [good] works (Eph. 2:10).

And that's what this whole book is about: setting a course for and giving us tools to accomplish those good works which God has called us to do, and which He has prepared beforehand for us (Eph. 2:10).

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Thankfully, Matt Perman does a wonderful job in sticking to the sub-title: "How the Gospel Transforms the Way you Get Things Done" (emphasis mine).

In other words, he doesn't neglect Ephesians 2:8-9 - we are saved by grace through faith - when teaching on Ephesians 2:10 - we are saved for good works.

That's the foundation to the entire book. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. ​

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The Curse and Hope of the Sanctity of Life

1/23/2017

 
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Being pro-life is not popular - in the sense that everyone loves the work you do toward a pro-life society. And it isn't easy, especially the closer we get to abortions actually becoming illegal again.

Under the evil of former President Obama and his administration (and several of his predecessors), along with a liberally unbalanced supreme court (and their predecessors) and, up until a couple years ago a liberal majority in congress, overturning Roe v. Wade was pretty much unthinkable.
Now that it's attainable, we have "millions" of women protesting that possibility. And while Christians should always be doing our best to live at peace with all (Rom. 12:18), there is still a responsibility to speak out against those "who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isa. 5:20). Consequently, there is a certain joy that comes with the knowledge that our nation might actually stop the murdering of 3,000 innocent lives a day - an atrocity that far outweighs the Holocaust to the point that it's now beyond measure.

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​To Be King of Israel Is to Be King of the World

12/21/2016

 
Around this time of year, I often wonder what Zechariah was thinking when he was offering up prayers in the temple on that day when Gabriel appeared to him (Lk 1:11).

​He was a righteous Levite, and served as priest in the temple. I think it's safe to assume he knew the Scriptures. Namely that one day:
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  • A seed of Eve would arise and crush the serpent (Gen. 3:15)
  • The seed would be a descendent of Abraham (Gen. 12:3)
  • The seed would be a ruler from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)
  • The seed would be a son of David (2 Sam. 7:13).
  • The seed would be the son of God (Ps. 110:1ff)
  • The seed would be the very presence of God (Isa. 7:14).
  • The seed would not only rule Israel but the whole world (Ps. 2:8, 10-12)
  • The seed would not only redeem those in Israel, but also those from the whole world (Gen. 12:3, Isa. 49:6; Dan. 7:14)

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Will Voting for Donald Trump Ruin the Evangelical Witness?

10/18/2016

 
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The most common objection I've received from my recent article on why I'm voting for Trump (reluctantly and grudgingly though it may be), is that I'm told if evangelicals vote for Trump it ruins the witness of the church to the watching world.
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I'm told that when believers vote for Trump they're discrediting Christ and His church and creating stumbling blocks for unbelievers to trust in Christ.
While good-intentioned as these arguments may be, I reject them for at least the following reasons: (1) The political atmosphere is only a byproduct of the cultural war, which we evangelicals as a whole have given up on long ago. If we're to worry about tainting our witness to the world, it must start first and foremost with the cultural war, (2) We have a solid history in Scripture where our fellow-saints were able to live in good conscience, given the circumstances around them, with supporting immoral people in office (or a position of political power) and even helping them attain such a position. The situation we face today is similar. And we would do well to follow their example. (3) Seeking the world's approval should be the furthest thing from us - even when it comes to politics.
​

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This Means You Too, Pastors...

10/9/2016

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​​I recently posted that I will be voting for Trump, on the principle of what is often referred to as the "Lesser of Two Evils." [And no, I'm not jealous for that term.] And though there are many who disagree with me on that, I argued from what I see as a Biblical approach to voting in our modern situation based on Biblical principles.

​We disagree. And that's fine.

​In that post, and even now, I would not counsel anyone to vote against their conscience (Rom. 14:22-23). The only thing I encourage all of us to do now, and until we're glorified, is that we try as best we can, in the Spirit of God, to ensure our conscience is informed by the Word of God (Ps. 119:11). As I said before, consciences can be led astray (1 Tim. 4:2).
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Picture credit to wrathandgrace.com
What probably didn't come across in my last post as much as I should have stressed, is that either of these options (Trump or Hilary) is a judgment from God (Prv. 16:4; cf. 1 Sam. 8:7-8, 9-18).

I did say it in the last post, but I probably didn't stress it enough.

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Voting While Gritting My Teeth #Election2016

9/29/2016

 
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​In less than 40 days our nation will choose the next President of the United States. I hate the two-party system; but, like it or not, either Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton will be the next POTUS.

I'm not going to tell you to vote for Trump; I'm not going to tell you to vote for a third party candidate; I'm not going to tell you to abstain from voting.
And I'm certainly not going to tell you to vote for Hilary. What I am going to do is write down the principles I believe we have in Scripture when our nation is faced with such a choice as is before us today, and what I plan to do in light of them.

But before I do that, let's go in reverse order as to why I'm not going to tell you to [fill in the blank]:
​

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The Repentance of a Nation Starts at Home #MakeAmericaGreatAgain

7/18/2016

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We all know how true the proverbs ring to our ears - especially in 2016:

"When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan."
-Proverbs 29:2

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."
-Proverbs 14:34

We also know that in Scripture God has and does judge entire nations and peoples based on their collective sinfulness (Gen. 18:20, cf. Gen. 19:24-25 // Gen. 15:14, 15, cf. Ex. 14:29, 30; Deut. 20:16-18 // Lev. 20:22, 23, cf. 2 Kgs. 21:10-15).
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And often enough (and what I believe we've experienced) He installs wicked rulers, in part, as a judgment for the sinful acts of a nation (Prv. 16:4; cf. Judg. 2:11-15). Of course, thankfully, in His mercy He relents from judgment when a nation collectively repents (Jon. 1:2, 3:10; cf. 2 Chron. 7:14; Dan. 9:1-19). That's something to which we ought to pay great attention in our lives today!

Repentance is still an option; and a viable one at that!

​But what of what kind of repentance are we speaking? And how do we go about doing it?

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Ask Me Why I Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ

4/29/2016

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https://teespring.com/active-apologetics-wear
Get this shirt, and wear it all summer!

"But..." some might say, "what if someone takes me up on the offer and actually asks me why I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?"

Hallelujah! Now you have an opportunity to give an answer to that question (1 Pet. 3:15; Col. 4:6)! 
In all seriousness though, I get that it's a little unsettling to think of the idea of someone asking you about your faith and you having to give a reason for it right there on the spot.

But in equal seriousness it's truly something we're all called to do, isn't it?

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Movie Review: God's Not Dead 2

3/28/2016

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Having not liked the first movie hardly at all, admittedly, I wasn't very excited about the prospect of a second one. Especially given that the premise seemed to be centered around the debate in the setting of a public, government-funded school, I was all set to write a scathing review about the movie and how it's truly fighting the wrong battle.

However, having seen it, I must say that it was very good, and I would recommend it to others.

Of course, there are some positive and negative elements I wish to explore; but overall, I think the movie is worth your time and money.
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Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils...

3/12/2016

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It's that time again...for whom do we vote if none of the candidates are the ones we would want to see in office? Or do we vote at all?

What, ethically, is the responsibility of the Christian in all of this? Should we even concern ourselves with the politics of this world, when, after all, our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20)?

Or are we to take an active interest in politics, if nothing else for the good of our family and our posterity (1 Tim. 2:1-2, 5:8)?
Obviously, like in any area of life, we need to take into consideration what the whole Bible says about a situation, and not just limit ourselves to pet proof texts. Yes, our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), yet our marching orders from the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given, are to disciple all nations of the world (Mt. 28:18-20). Discipling includes applying His Lordship to every area of life - even the politics of this world (Rom. 11:36, 13:1-7; 2 Cor. 10:5).

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