Clinging to Cold Ceremonies

“To say nothing of other matters, what greater blindness can be imagined, than to hope for the expiation of sin from the sacrifice of a beast, or to seek mental purification in external washing with water, or to attempt to appease God with cold ceremonies, as if he were greatly delighted with them? Such are…

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10 Quotes from “Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry” by Paul Tripp

I’ve been working through this book on and off for the past couple of months. I got a little bogged down at times because, while the content was excellent, it did seem a bit repetitive. That being said, it was definitely worth the time spent finishing it because it called me to take a step…

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John Calvin on Calvinists

I remember the first time I fully explained the Doctrines of Grace to my parents I told them that I was a “Calvinist.” The response I got will always stick with me. One of my parents (I can’t remember which) then said, “Wait, so you’re not a Christian?” Their tone was one of deep concern…

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20 Quotes from “Institutes of the Christian Religion: Book Four”

This is the fourth and final post in a four part series. The previous posts had a list of quotes from Book One, Book Two, and Book Three of Calvin’s Institutes. If you’re only going to read the quote lists of this four part volume, I’d encourage you to go back and read those lists as well. If…

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40 Quotes from “Institutes of Christian Religion: Book Three”

This is the third post in a four part series. The previous posts had a list of quotes from Book One and Book Two of Calvin’s Institutes. If you’re only going to read the quote lists of this four part volume, I’d encourage you to go back and read those lists as well. If you want to read…

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15 Quotes from “Institutes of the Christian Religion: Book Two”

This is the second post in a four part series. The first post had a list of quotes from Book One of Calvin’s Institutes. If you’re only going to read the quote lists of this book, I’d encourage you to go back and read that list. If you want to read the whole thing, you can purchase the…

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10 Quotes from “Institutes of the Christian Religion: Book One”

In it’s original form in 1536, Calvin’s Institutes consisted of only six sections: The Ten Commandments, The Apostles Creed, The Lord’s Prayer, The Sacraments, Christian Liberty, and Political Theology. Calvin added to it over the years, and it came to be what we have now. Many dismiss the Institutes because they flatly dismiss “Calvinism.” I must contend…

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25 Quotes from “Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief” by John Frame

I had the pleasure of reading this book with a small group of men in my church. It’s quite a long book, so it was great to have the accountability of friends to keep me motivated. Frame definitely  has the ability to bog me down at times with some of the real dense and technical…

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20 Quotes from “The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ” by Fleming Rutledge

This is a fantastic book. While there’s much I disagree with lying in its pages, I stand by my statement. Rutledge’s treatment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ from its varying themes, or motifs as she calls them, is like peering at it from different angles and still seeing the whole. I would even argue…

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Because Equity Matters

It grieves me to the heart to know that becasue I was born a white male in the United States, I have so many advantages afforded to me simply through birth. I believe–along with Christians around the planet and across time–that all of mankind has been created in God’s very image, and having been created in His image it means we all have inherent and inextricable dignity. However, fallen humans throughout time have seen fit to take certain aspects of our diversity and elevate them as better, or more important, than others–most notably the color of one’s skin.

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