David Westerfield

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Category: Theology Page 22 of 67


The Decline of Christianity in America … and the Solution is?

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On October 2, 2009

In Christian Culture, Culture, Theology

A new study by The American Religious Identification Survey (PDF) is reporting an even greater decline of Christianity in the US and a marked increase of those with no religious preference at all. This is so saddening and should cause all believers every where in this country to stop and pray for their salvation and consider the cost of following Christ. A time seems to be fast approaching when there will be an uptick in persecution in various ways. If it’s not outright violence, then it will certainly be social exclusion, legal slaps, financial distress, or good old fashioned slandering.

The trend we are seeing, however, should not be that big of an alarm, as it has been going on for a while and has exploded over the past several years. Other studies have come up with virtually the same findings. It will likely continue to head in its current direction based on the methods and teachings of much of evangelicalism now (which are very quickly resembling the principles of 19th and 20th century liberals in trying to win modernists; now evangelicals are trying to win postmodernists with the same techniques).

Some people are just now catching wind of these rather daunting statistics and trying to find solutions. The author in the quote below, Bruce Feiler, seems to be one such person. What I wanted to hone in on was this FOXNews commentators’ solution to the problem in his article entitled Where Have All the Christians Gone?:

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Today Show Reports Yet Another Gem – Spanking Makes Your Kid Dumb

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On September 25, 2009

In Christian Culture, Commentary, Culture, Theology, worldview

Religiously convicted parents’ disciplining techniques make their kids dumber than more “enlightened,” secular parenting techniques, according to “new” analysis; that is, parenting techniques are better for your childs’ intelligence coming from a worldview and presupposition that denies the inherent wickedness of a persons’ heart, or rather, just denies the very existence of sin in general.

Okay this research didn’t say that out-right, but using deductive reasoning, one can easily fill in the blanks about where they are coming from in their broader worldview assumptions that always seems to “inform” the scientific method they employ.

Please give me another heaping dose of misinformation, NBC.

So should I go with this researchers’ “finely tuned,” humanistic, enlightened analysis of parenting? (Emphases and bracketed insertions mine)

  • “‘All parents want smart children,’ said study researcher Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire. ‘This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehavior in other ways can help that happen.'”
  • “‘You can’t say it proves it, but I think it rules out so many other alternatives [great postmodern acrobatics, pure certain uncertainty?]; I am convinced that spanking does cause a slowdown in a child’s development of mental abilities,’ Straus told LiveScience.”

Or should I go with the Word of God, despite the unpopularity or difficulty of doing so?

  • “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” – Proverbs 13:24
  • “Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.” – Proverbs 19:18
  • “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.” – Proverbs 22:15
  • “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” – Proverbs 29:15
  • “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.” – Proverbs 29:17

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The Inseparable Relation of Doctrine to Christian Living

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On September 24, 2009

In History, Theology

Peculiar Doctrines, Public Morals, and the Political Welfare – Excerpted introduction from a biography on the life of William Wilberforce by John Piper

“If you want to understand and appreciate The Life and Labor of William Wilberforce, one of the wisest things you can do is to read his own book, A Practical View of Christianity first, and then read biographies. The book was published in 1797 when Wilberforce was 37 years old and had been a member of the British Parliament already for 16 years. The book proved incredibly popular for the time. It went through five printings in six months and was translated into five foreign languages. The book makes crystal clear what drives Wilberforce as a person and a politician. And if you don’t see it first in his book, chances are you may not find it clearly in the biographies.

What made Wilberforce tick was a profound Biblical allegiance to what he called the “peculiar doctrines” of Christianity. These, he said, give rise, in turn, to true affections – what we might call “passion” or “emotions” – for spiritual things, which, in turn, break the power of pride and greed and fear, and then lead to transformed morals which, in turn, lead to the political welfare of the nation. He said, “If . . . a principle of true Religion [i.e., true Christianity] should . . . gain ground, there is no estimating the effects on public morals, and the consequent influence on our political welfare.” [1]

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Is There Injustice on God’s Part?

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On September 23, 2009

In Theology

Job’s Suffering Under a Sovereign God

In the Book of Job, Job is essentially sifted like flour at the hands of Satan, by the permission of God. Job loses just about everything except his life and his wife. He loses his children, houses, live stock, servants, everything. He even loses his health for a time.

From the very beginning of the book, in the first chapter, it is clear God is the one in charge and in control of Satan’s sifting, using it and even purposing it for His good, just and right purposes that are pure and free from evil. In fact, God initiates the conversation with Satan, the one who would perform this very sifting. He says to Satan in Job 1:8, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” He then goes on later to give Satan permission, as well as  boundaries, of what he can and cannot do to Job.

While all of this is true, God cannot be charged with evil or injustice of any kind. He is pure and holy, wise and almighty. There are no evil motives with God in this. And yet, to the difficulty of our understanding, He permits and even asks Satan to consider Job as a target for calamity. He initiates and prompts Satan to strike Job. This is hard to swallow. What is God up to? What is His goal in this?

Close to the end of the book, after all the calamity of the first two chapters Job experienced, he goes through a list of sins and trespasses to try and figure out what he has done to have received such calamity. It seems he assumes those things happened because of something wrong he had done.

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The Gospel and Idolatry

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On September 21, 2009

In Theology, Video

The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry (Video) – Tim Keller

Once again, I have to be reminded of truths I’ve forgotten. It is so easy to forget things that should constantly be flowing through your mind. One is the fact that the heart (my heart), as Martin Luther said, is an idol factory. I listened to Tim Keller’s talk on The Gospel Coalition’s website entitled The Gospel and Idolatry and was once again confronted with my idols, that is those things I’m staking my ultimate hope in besides Christ. How quickly we turn from Him to less satisfying, less glorious things and exchange Him for lesser gods that don’t deliver what we most desperately need! “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” – Romans 7:24-25

John Piper – TULIP Seminar – Part 1 – Introduction

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On September 20, 2009

In Theology, Video

The Active Obedience of Christ – Wayne Grudem

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On September 8, 2009

In Theology

The Active Obedience of Christ – Wayne Grudem

If Christ had only earned forgiveness of sins for us, then we would not merit heaven. Our guilt would have been removed, but we would simply be in the position of Adam and Eve before they had done anything good or bad and before they had passed a time of probation successfully. To be established in righteousness forever and to have their fellowship with God made sure forever, Adam and Eve had to obey God perfectly over a period of time. Then God would have looked on their faithful obedience with pleasure and delight, and they would have lived with him in fellowship forever.

For this reason, Christ had to live a life of perfect obedience to God in order to earn righteousness for us. He had to obey the law for his whole life on our behalf so that the positive merits of his perfect obedience would be counted for us. Sometimes this is called Christ’s “active obedience,” while his suffering and dying for our sins is called his “passive obedience.” Paul says his goal is that he may be found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of [his] own based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3:9). It is not just moral neutrality that Paul knows he needs from Christ (that is, a clean slate with sins forgiven), but a positive moral righteousness. And he knows that that cannot come from himself, but must come through faith in Christ. Similarly, Paul says that Christ has been made “our righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30). And he quite explicitly says, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19).

Controversial Video Shown to Elementary Students

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On September 4, 2009

In Culture, Politics, Theology, Video

Parents upset over ‘leftist propaganda’ video (Archive)

Many of the things each celebrity lists in this video are inherently good things. I’m absolutely an advocate of looking after my neighbor’s interests and not only my own, though of course not through a government mandate, but willingness of heart. Loving our neighbors as ourselves is part of the summing up of the entire law, according to Jesus Himself. And just on its face, this is a virtue any society should uphold. I’m also in favor of building stronger communities in which we do help each other, although of course I believe the church should be a strong, influential, integral member in the community as well, in order that the Gospel may spread to those who don’t know Christ.

What I primarily negate in this video (even before the political aspect) is the worldview and theological perspective this understanding of serving others springs from: it is secular, postmodern humanism, that is, the exaltation of humanity. Some version of this can be seen in history in Genesis 11:1-11 at the Tower of Babel. Humans were made (dare I say designed) to worship. And if we don’t worship the Lord, the true God, and refuse to make Him the center of our lives through Christ alone, we will worship something else, of necessity. Martin Luther called the human heart an “idol factory.” And rightfully so.

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Panel – N.T. Wright and the Doctrine of Justification

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On September 4, 2009

In Theology

Original Page

American Patriot’s Bible – Words Cannot Describe II

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On August 18, 2009

In Christian Culture, Reviews, Theology

America has a rich history rooted in the Christian faith, drawing many principles from Scripture. And while this is true, it does not lend us the conclusion that America was a “Christian nation,” even at our founding. Such an assumption is absurd and presents a misguided interpretation of history and a misunderstanding of the nature of how people are converted and saved. Many of the founding fathers were deists, an ideology which runs counter to the Biblical portrayal of an all-sovereign God, which necessarily affects our understanding of the Gospel.

The assumption that this was a Christian nation, displayed prominently within this Bible version, will hurt the cause of the Gospel in that it delivers the understanding to the unconverted that if you are an American and support the Constitution, you are a Christian and are “in” God’s favor. This is blatantly fallacious and patently unbiblical. American Religion is opposed to the Biblical Gospel. The Biblical Gospel critiques American Religion much in the same way Jesus critiqued the Pharisees.

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