Although people debate whether Calvin himself was as Calvinistic as his followers, most of us are familiar with the TULIP, 5 points of Calvinism regarding salvation. While many who embrace all or most of Calvin’s points are not necessarily Calvinists in the sense that they agree with his views on baptism, ecclesiology, or eschatology, for example, they might label themselves as such referring to the process of salvation.

T is for total depravity

U is for unconditional election

L is for limited atonement

I is for irresistible grace

With a new liberal president and an extremely liberal vice-president, do you think this will translate for more restrictions/oppression on churches, particularly conservative ones? You might remember how the Obama administration targeted conservative religious organizations (e.g., Samaritan’s Purse) for IRS audits, etc.

What are your thoughts?

Poll Results

Do you expect any significant change regarding religious freedom over the next four years?

E/P. Sanders (who has some good point and some not so good ones, IMO) suggests that the average Jewish person (during the time of the first and second temple) was not concerned about being ritually clean on a daily basis, but only when going to the Tabernacle/Temple or for the Festivals.

What is your understanding of this? It makes a big deal of difference when trying to understand the Book of Leviticus, for example.

Things vary from state to state, but do you anticipate the recent COVID surge will mean more/most states will experience another lockdown for our churches? We are aware that some areas have never stopped locking down, but we are talking about states that had a lockdwon at one time and then lifted it.

Please opine if you wish.

Poll Results

Do you think it is likely we will return to lockdown before Thanksgiving?

Who would have thought that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would arrive at an agreement with Israel? Supposedly four or five other middle-eastern nations are negotiating similar agreements behind closed doors.

When it come to prophecy, SI participants hold various views, some of which leave no special place for Israel. The purpose of this question is not so much prophetic as it is historical and practical regarding the near future. Do you think Israel can have a decent peace with most of her neighbors and begin forming a “block” in the middle east?

A lot of church growth is wrongly measured by the three B’s, according to my dear friend Nord Zootman: Bucks, Bodies, and Buildings. It is possible to grow the Kingdom without numerically or financially growing a local church, and spiritual growth can be tough to reduce to statistics.

This poll is focusing upon “bodies and bucks.” How are your church’s finances and attendance doing? We will count online attendance for those of you who meet in person but also stream online, and for those only streaming, we will use that number.

As far as I know, Psalm 8:5 is the only verse where the word “Elohim” in translated with uncertainty. Context usually makes it clear, although if you know of another instance, please let me know.

Psalm 8: 4-5 in the ESV reads:

what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[a]
 and crowned him with glory and honor.



In the NASB, verse 5 reads,

John MacArthur surprises me, and, frankly, I was disappointed about his stance about submitting to governing authority. What is your view?

Plenty of room for discussion, I am sure!

You can read an evaluation by Tyler R here on SI: https://sharperiron.org/article/bad-argument-from-good-man

Julie Roy has an article here: https://julieroys.com/macarthur-defies-restrictions-on-worship/

Hopefully most of us understand the concept of not judging others when it comes to extra-biblical matters, and we can accommodate a variety of opinions and respect those with whom we disagree. Not everyone has those social/people skills, however.

We are blessed in our church to have a variety of opinions without put-downs or disharmony, but I hear that this is not true everywhere.

How is your church doing in this regard?

Poll Results

Has mask-wearing or conspiracy theories created fellowship issues in your church?

Masks, no masks. Don’t worry about it, just like a bad flu – or the end of the world. Opinions run a broad spectrum. So does the suggested goverment response.

Has your state (probably led by the governor) chose the best course, in your opinon?

Feel free to opine, and, if you wish, mention your state.

Mine is Indiana, and I have a pretty positive assessment.

Poll Results

Has your state been handling the COVID pandemic well?