As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Samuel Rutherford is perhaps the best known Scottish Puritan. But his life and history seem not to be as widely remembered as other Puritan ministers. Rutherford’s legacy lays chiefly in collections of his profound and moving personal letters.
Richard Hannula brings renewed attention to Samuel Rutherford in his contribution to the “Bitesize Biographies” series from Evangelical Press (2014).
Anyone else read Geisler’s Chosen But Free? It was mentioned positively by someone in my church and so I am wading through it right now. All I can say is…wow, just wow. It is full of misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, poor scholarship, and straw man arguments. I don’t think I can say it any better than Phil Johnson:
Excerpt:
There have been numerous suggestions that fundamentalists start writing books to benefit the Body of Christ and let everyone know who we are and what we believe.
What subjects should we address?
One of the benefits of “book-by-book expository preaching” is that the preacher-teacher is more likely to present God’s balance of truth. But it is not merely a matter of teaching everything—it is also a matter of emphasis. Preaching book by book puts the emphasis upon what God’s Word emphasizes! This is especially true when the point of the text is the point of the sermon.
But the Scriptures are not evenly distributed by topic. This is particularly true when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Although the Holy Spirit is discussed in many Scriptures, He is absent from many more. This might seem odd because the Holy Spirit Himself has inspired all Scripture (2 Pet. 1:21).
In light of this seeming disparity, I would like to contemplate two issues about the Holy Spirit: His “behind the scenes” influence (His preferred discretion) and his role as the “Divine Finisher.” These issues have been discussed since the early centuries of Christianity, but do not receive much air time today.
A lady in my church has requested that I recommend a book on apologetics. She has been recommended Van Til’s book and Elmer Towns book on Core Christianity. I don’t have a book specifically on apologetics. My guess is that Van Til’s book may be a little “heady” for her. I don’t tend to trust Elmer Towns, just being frank. She says that the reason for this request is so that she can effectively defend the faith that she wants to share with others. She mentioned a book she had read called, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.”
Read the series so far.
In this piece I want to go behind the subject of the rapture so as to approach it from another angle. Please bear with me.
The book of Revelation has been the subject of varied interpretations. Since the Greek word apocalypsis means “a disclosure” or “unveiling,” the different interpretative approaches to the book are quite ironic if not a little embarrassing. The opening verses of Revelation inform us that it concerns “things which must shortly take place” (Rev. 1:1, 1:19). Because John write of “things which must take place after this” (Rev. 4:1) it is hardly surprising to read him describing his book as a “prophecy” (Rev. 1:3).
Now although scholars like to cite etymology to try to prove that prophecy is more “forth-telling” than “foretelling,” the Bible itself does not assist them much. For instance, when Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from a prophet of the Lord it wasn’t because he wished to hear a declamation on the present reign of his ally Ahab. Rather he wanted to know about the future (see 1 Kings 22). John’s Revelation is about the future. But it is about a particular time in future history. That time may be determined by the contents of the book.
Discussion