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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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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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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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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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Confusing Vengeance with Just Defense: A Response to John Piper's Discouragement of Armed Christians 

12/28/2015

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"Exhorting the lambs to carry concealed weapons with which to shoot the wolves does not advance the counter-cultural, self-sacrificing, soul-saving cause of Christ."
-John Piper, Should Christians Be Encouraged to Arm Themselves?
First and foremost let me be clear that I have the utmost respect and admiration for John Piper and his ministry; and I greatly rejoice in how much God has used this humble, loving man in converting and maturing multitudes of Christians (myself included) in the gospel and in the doctrines of grace.

There are countless others who could say the same thing of him - and I praise God for that!
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However, in a recent post, he has made a terrible mistake in regards to advocating an unbiblical view of Christian ethics in the social sphere. This has been responded to greatly by several people (most notably for me was Dr. Joel McDurmon's response: A biblical response to John Piper’s denial of the Right to bear Arms.)

And while I've written on this issue before, since the Washington Post has now also picked up Piper's discouragement for armed Christians, I feel the need to reach people in my own sphere of influence (however small that may be) in pointing out some of Piper's inconsistencies that must not go unnoticed.

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#YesImAChristian - And Yes I'm Armed

10/15/2015

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Precious in the sight of the LORD
        is the death of his saints.
​-Psalm 116:15
As the dust settles on yet another school shooting spree, the aftermath of politics are in their normal routine. Liberals are wanting more gun control, and "conservatives" are calling for more funding and/or regulation for the "mentally ill."

While neither of these so-called solutions will work, the families and loved ones of those hurt and killed by this atrocity are still in need of prayer and support.
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Pilgrims Going To Church, George Henry Boughton, 1867
In addition to that, clearly something does need to be done to help prevent such tragedies from being so frequent. I think we would be hard pressed to disagree with the idea that ultimately what will reduce or eliminate these tragedies is the mass conversion of individuals to becoming Christians through the power of the Holy Spirit, which He will use by the preaching of the gospel to the unsaved, and then training Christians in full-orbed discipleship in our churches.

In the meantime, I wish to express the following thoughts on what it means to be a Christian in the face of these types of situations.

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Remembering a Hero of the Faith

9/17/2015

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Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen (Sep. 17, 1948 - Dec. 11, 1995)
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).

As today marks what would have been the 67th 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 learned it from Dr. Cornelius Van Til. He did, however, give teeth to it, as demonstrated remarkably in his formal debate ("The Great Debate: Does God Exist?") with Gordon Stein and other debates.

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Is It a Sin to be Rich? Is it Righteous to be Poor?

8/28/2015

 
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A rich man's wealth is his strong city
-Proverbs 10:15

The blessing of the Lord makes rich
-Proverbs 10:22

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath
-Proverbs 11:4

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall
-Proverbs 11:28
Isn't it interesting that Scripture teaches so clearly such an ambivalent attitude toward money and wealth.

For instance it is seen as a definite blessing that Abraham and Job were wealthy individuals (Gen. 13:2; Job 42:10). Likewise, Moses prays for the Lord to establish the work of their hands (Ps. 90:17 - bless their work and the fruit of that work), while Jabez also prayed for God's material blessings (1 Chron. 4:10). And both of these were seen as good things. Yet eslewhere in Scripture there are very sharp rebukes against the wealthy (Jas. 5:1-6;cf. Lk. 6:24).

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Making Disciples of All Nations - One Family at a Time

8/17/2015

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And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
-Matthew 18:18-20
In the Great Commission Jesus commanded His apostles to make disciples of all nations.

Now remember, it's all nations.

And remember, it's all nations.

In the book of Acts we read how that work began. Jesus said to them, "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
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The book of Acts then goes on to show how God used these men and others to do just that - be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. That is how the work of the Great Commission began.

But I think it's important to understand that this was just the beginning of the Great Commission and the work of discipling all nations. This whole thing of 11 guys going out into the world as ambassadors for Christ was a unique phenomenon. Certainly God is still calling missionaries (yes, God calls missionaries - Acts 13:2-3) to be His ambassadors in actively going into the remote parts of the world in order to make entire cultures and nations His disciples. Yet it seems to me that from Scripture, overt active evangelizing, while important, is not the main avenue of discipling the nations. It seems rather that the normal course in which God will continue to expand His Great Commission work is first and foremost in the home.

What I'm saying is that discipleship starts in the home, continues in the church, expands into the community, and from there goes out into all nations. Here is why I say that.


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Sitting on a Mountaintop, Waiting for Judgment

7/1/2015

 
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The White House is illuminated in rainbow colors. (Photo: Gary Cameron/Reuters)
I suggest reading this post before reacting to the title; you may be surprised by what I mean by it.

At the start though I must say that, yes, this is a post concerning the supreme court decision on Friday, June 26th. Yes, though not surprised by it, I was still saddened by their ruling. And yes, I do believe that judgment will come to those rulers (in whatever capacity they served) who ruled in favor and/or otherwise gave their approval of public, government-sanctioned civil union relationships of those reveling in their homosexuality.
I'm not going to take the time here to lay out a case as to why that is an abhorrent ruling in the eyes of God (Lev. 18:22, 20:13) and why gloating over it as Obama did will only incur further wrath on himself and his nation (Ps. 2:10-12).

What I also will not be doing is claiming myself to be sitting on a mountaintop, waiting for God's judgment on America because of this ruling and, in my mind, even far more gruesome sins (like the 3 million babies we kill each year in terrifying ways). No, I'm not sitting on a mountaintop, waiting for God's judgment on a sinful nation.

What I'm saying is that the church has already been doing that very thing for far too long; and we need to repent from that method of Christian living.

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To the Young, Restless, and Libertarian

6/11/2015

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When someone comes into a new way of thinking, especially if it's a major shift in his worldview, he often enters a period known as "cage stage."

This is a period of his new enlightenment in which it would be better, for himself and others, if he were locked in a cage for a time until he is better able to handle his new knowledge - with maturity.
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I don't pretend to be immune to this phenomenon; and I confess that I even went through it myself a couple years ago (I do think God has brought me past it at this point - but I'll leave that to the reader). This situation has been seen a lot recently within the church due to the advent of the Young, Restless, and Reformed movement. But I think a similar thing is going on in our culture with regard to politics. Perhaps it would be called the Young, Restless, and Libertarian.

I'm not here going on the offensive against the libertarian system. I have many Christian friends with a libertarian viewpoint in regard to politics, and they are not the aim of this post. My aim has to do with those who claim libertarianism while still being in that cage stage where they can hurt themselves and others.

A chief case-in-point is an article I came across the other day entitled, 6 Ways Parents Teach Their Children Socialist Values (shared on Facebook a mere 3.5 thousand times). Now I agree that parents often do inadvertently teach their kids socialist values. But the author of this article is not giving a Biblical worldview assessment of that situation nor in the answers he proposes.

I don't know if he's a Christian or not (Reformed or otherwise), but regardless I do believe his article needs to be addressed.

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