Today marks the first day of the new Christian year, the first day of Advent. This has never been a big deal in my life since it was never taught in church or school. Christmas…it was the 25th with a candlelight service on the 24th. Done. Many times there might be a sermon series that would flow through December but there was never an Advent connection. In public school there was little talk from the few practicing Catholics about what was going on but it was always vague.

When speaking to many who have grown up in US Evangelicalism, I hear the very same story. We have no understanding of the Christian calendar or what it represents. This has led me to start learning about the organization of the calendar year and what the historical church has taught regarding how we worship God in the midst of the seasons. There are many babies that have been thrown out while dumping the water over the previous centuries and one of those has been the Christian calendar.

As for me and my house…I want this to change.

There is much to be learned from history. There is much to be learned from those who have gone before and who have been proven worthy of our respect and honor. I know that idea scares many of us but we need to look to these people who have gone before and look to them for wisdom. This wisdom is not of their own but from God and we do not worship Him when we do not honor them.

 I’m always having discussions with myself as to what Luther, Calvin and others would think of Christians of today. This is not to say that I wear a WWLutherD bracelet but I do wonder what he would say. Would he even recognize out gathered worship services? What would he say about our daily Scripture intake?

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Try following the Christian calendar for one year and see what happens. Today is the day to begin. Let us look forward to Christ.

-Cheers

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Without a doubt, “election” is a Christian doctrine.  The question is, what is election, and how is one elected?

Are Calvinists correct to say that God pre-ordains some particular men to be His “elect”, and other particular men to be damned, regardless of any foreknowledge God has of whether or not these men will choose to do right or wrong?

Or am I correct, when I say that God pre-ordained a particular class of men to be His elect, and this class is open to all who come to Jesus and abide in Jesus. This class contains those men found to be in Christ at the end of their lives, or at His coming, whichever comes first.  God also pre-ordained a particular class of men to be damned, which class is also open to all who persist in rebellion. And that class of men includes all who are not found in Christ at the end of their lives, or at His coming, whichever comes first.

The statement in bold type above is my thesis, and I will return to it.

If I understand the Calvinist position correctly, they believe no person can come to Jesus unless that person was first “elected” by God, and then given to Jesus, based on John 6:37 (which passage, by the way, does not use the word “elect,” nor does it even refer to election as far as I can see.) It says,

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

So it would seem, if this verse is wrested from its context, that no one can come to Jesus except by the Father.

I recall that Jesus said the opposite, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)  He claimed to be “the Way” to the Father.

So how are we to understand that no one comes to the Father but through Jesus, yet no one comes to Jesus but by the Father?  Either there is a contradiction, or one or both of these verses are not being properly understood.

I am completely unwilling to contradict Jesus in either case, so I seek to understand what He meant in both cases.

John 14:6 can really only be taken one way.  NO ONE can come to the Father except by Jesus Christ.  He is the ONLY mediator between men and God.  Salvation is fixed firmly in this, that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.  Salvation must always be Christ-centered.

So what do we do with John 6:37?  I contend that the context of Jesus’ words sheds light on what He meant—and He was not referring to “election,” but rather to the fact that truly God-fearing people would be led by God to Jesus Christ. A perfect example of this is Cornelius, a man who “feared God” but did not know Christ until Peter preached the gospel of Christ to him, after which he was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 10)

The Pharisees, to whom Jesus was speaking in John 6, were not men who “feared God.”  They were hypocrites who only pretended to fear God, and Jesus was exposing their hypocrisy by proving the fact that they didn’t really belong to God. If they truly feared God, they would come to Jesus, God’s only way to the Father, as did Cornelius. I will write more on John 6 in another writing.

I hope you can see that the way in which I’ve interpreted these 2 passages leaves no contradiction—the way to be reconciled to God is by Jesus Christ, but only a God-fearing man will come to Jesus Christ. The enemies of God will reject the messengers of God, including Jesus. But the way in which the Calvinist interprets the John 6 passage introduces a terrible contradiction, not to mention a slander on the character of God—for they assert that God hold back the majority of people from ever coming to Jesus for salvation, and then punishes them in eternal fire as punishment!

Back to my thesis, we are elect when we properly identify with the Son of God, Jesus Christ–that is, we repent of our sins as commanded and place a submissive and obedient faith in Christ. All who are found in Jesus at the end of their lives or at the coming of Jesus are God’s elect.  God has pre-determined that every person who properly identifies with Jesus (and endures to the end in such a state—Matt. 10:22) will be saved. These are His elect, whom He will gather from the four winds at His appearing (Matt. 24:31).

The key here is understanding that there is ONE QUALIFICATION for God’s elect. They must be found in Jesus, because Jesus IS God’s elect. Thus we see that Jesus truly is The Way, and no man comes to God but by Him.

Jesus IS God’s elect:

Isa 42:1 Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom my soul delights! I have put my Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

I Peter 2:6 …Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.

Other verses which refer to God’s elect are referring to those who are in Christ, including Matt. 24:22, 24; Luke 18:7; Rom. 8:33, 11:7; Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10; I Peter 1:2, 5:13; and 2 John 1:1, 13.

I Peter 1:2 tells us something important about the elect:

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…

God knows all things, past, present and future. His foreknowledge does not indicate that there is a pre-written script.  He exists outside of time. Thus He knows the future as well as the present.  He knows who will be found in Christ Jesus and saved. Notice in the verse that those called “elect” are those being sanctified and sprinkled by Jesus’ blood.  They are “in Christ.”  The verse does not tell us that unsaved people are arbitrarily elected to salvation. It tells us that those God foreknew would be in Christ are elected to salvation.  This is because Jesus is THE Elect One. This truth is evident from other Scriptures, which must also be taken into account.

God adopts all who are in Christ:

Anyone who has the Son has the Father also. I Jn. 2:24.

Those found in Christ are adopted as sons by the Father. Rom 8:15.

Rom 8:29 For whom He did foreknow (have knowledge of beforehand), he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Those whom God foreknows will identify with His Son, He also predestinates to be like His Son, and to be adopted into His family.)

Eph 1:4-6 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Please notice that we are “chosen” in Christ. (Christ is the Chosen one.)

Notice that we are predestinated for adoption by Jesus Christ.

Notice we are accepted IN Jesus Christ (the Beloved.)

The person who is IN Christ is therefore chosen, predestinated for adoption, and accepted—because they are in Christ.

Jesus is the Chosen one.

Matt 12:18 Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!…

Luke 23:35 …Let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.

I Peter 2:4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.

If we are In Christ, we too are chosen:

Eph 1:4 Just as He chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Please notice we are chosen IN HIM!  This is because HE is THE CHOSEN ONE.

Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Rev. 13:8. This does not mean all people from the beginning of time are saved automatically. Nor does Eph 1:4 mean that individuals were singled out as “chosen” no matter what their own choices might be.

Jesus is the one chosen and slain before the foundation of the world. And God has ordained that all who are found in Him are chosen with Him.

God gives choice to all men and commands repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ. He enables all men to respond in faith; He has initiated salvation for every man, but all men have not met His conditions.  Only those who are found IN HIM can be called chosen, because God CHOSE before the foundation of the world to elect all persons who are IN CHRIST to be saved.

For a lecture on John Calvin I am reading Bruce Gordon’s book: Calvin, Yale University Press, 2009. In my lecture I am focusing on how John Calvin confronts his opponents, like Jacopo Sadoleto, Sebastien Castellio, Michael Servetus. I am really curious about why Calvin could be so harsh on his intellectual opponents. Was it a matter of character? Where does his immense drive come from?

The false teachings of Calvinism declare that God pre-selects certain individuals and gives them faith regardless of any choices they have made for good or evil.  It goes without saying, then, that God also (according to this abominable teaching) purposely withholds faith from other individuals, effectively keeping them from ever being saved regardless of any choices they might make for good or evil.

The following is just a small study I did on the subject of faith.

Faith comes from God, but God has given the opportunity to have faith to all.

Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. [Amazingly, the Calvinist is taught that God purposely created the majority of people with the inability to please Him!  The Bible, however, leaves the way open to all men to exercise faith in God and seek Him diligently.]

Deut. 32:20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation,  Children in whom is no faith.  (Was God angry with them for not having faith when it was His fault they had no faith?)

Acts 14:27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. [the "door of faith" is open to 2 groups--Jews and Gentiles! That covers everyone.]

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, then God has given every person the ability to have faith. We are to preach the Word of the gospel to EVERY creature; we are to preach the Word in season and out of season.

Those who reject the Word of God judge THEMSELVES unworthy of everlasting life! (It isn’t God judging them unworthy of receiving faith!)

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

Heb. 11:1-3 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Is not the whole world responsible for understanding this same truth–that the world was made by God? Then it follows that every man has the ability to have this faith, but those who have been shown the truth and glorify not God…become fools because of their own choices.

Rom. 1:18-23 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,  because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,  and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

What man does affects his faith in God.  A strong faith, weak faith, or dead faith is determined by how a person hears, and what he does with God’s Word.

I Tim. 1:18-19 Wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck. 

Luke 8:11-15 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who HEAR; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they HEAR, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have HEARD, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having HEARD the word with a noble and good heart, KEEP IT AND BEAR FRUIT WITH PATIENCE.

Luke 8:18 Therefore TAKE HEED HOW YOU HEAR. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.

Heb. 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. [These Israelites who fell SEEMED to be God's people, yet they did not add faith to the hearing of the gospel. Their faith had been shipwrecked, as I Tim. 1:18-19 states can happen; these "in time of temptation fell away."]

James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  (Notice you must DO 2 things: get rid of sin, and receive the Word with meekness) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (Again, what you DO counts. If you don’t DO the Word, you will become self-deceived.)For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Faith must be accompanied by and perfected by works/obedience to Christ.

James 2:19-26 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Faith works through love (Gal 5:6)

A Quick Scriptural Summary of Faith:

FAITH can be:

tested (James 1:3);

lacking, in need of being perfected (I Thess. 3:10);

denied (1 Tim. 5:8);

cast off (I Tim 5:12);

neglected (Matt. 23:23);

strayed from (I Tim. 6:10, 21);

departed from (I Tim 4:1);

overthrown (2 Tim. 2:18);

shipwrecked (I Tim. 1:19);

dead (James 2:17, 26);

strengthened (Acts 16:5, Rom. 4:20);

followed (2 Tim. 3:10, Heb. 13:7)

continued in (Col. 1:23, I Tim. 2:15);

encouraged (1 Thess. 3:2);

pursued (I Tim. 6:11, 2 Tim. 2:22);

grown (2 Thess. 1:3);

and kept (2 Tim. 4:7, Rev. 14:12).

The follower of Jesus is known by his love—love for God and love for his neighbor.

If we refuse to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked way, we dare not claim to be God’s, for we are ashamed of His Words (Luke 9:26), and we prove by our self-serving silence that we do not love our neighbor as ourselves.

I. Godly Old Testament men who did God’s Will

Moses: The LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. (Num. 15:28)

God, speaking of David: ‘I have found David…a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ (Acts 13:22)

II. Satan—His attitude is “I will,” and he desires to be like God (Lord over men, even in the very congregation.)

I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ …(Isa. 14:13-14)

III. Men who do according to their own will serve the devil

Disobedient Israel: “We will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.” (Jer. 18:12)

Spirit of antichrist: Then the king shall do according to his own will… (Dan. 11:36)

Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees: You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. (John 8:44)

In humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:25-26)

IV. Attitude of Jesus

Jesus: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

Jesus: I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. (John 5:30)

Jesus: For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 6:38)

Jesus, facing the cross: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

V. Christians MUST not follow their own will, but deny their own will and follow Jesus.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. (Heb. 10:36)

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” (Proverbs 27:5, ESV)

It has taken science, in the fields of Psychiatry and Psychology, thousands of years to catch up to this passage. In Psychological terms, this would be stated as : “Children would rather be disciplined than ignored.” Its true.

The human soul, made to love God and be loved by Him, languishes in torment when it does not even receive God’s appointed tributary means through the love of other humans. Oh how we hate one another when we will not respond at all. We’d rather have open and humiliating rebuke, than to be so disregarded as to not even warrant that.

How painful then is hidden love. Perhaps you love your spouse, child, parent etc. – but do THEY know it? Do they have proof positive from you? Do YOU tell them and show them – not leaving either of those two necessities unexpressed?

As we take on the image of Christ, more and more we are bidden not to disregard anyone – but to love them, and so as to make them know it is love. God not only providentially cares for us, He speaks His love to us in His Word. We must have both.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34, ESV)

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”” (John 13:35, ESV)

““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12, ESV)

“These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” (John 15:17, ESV)

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV)

“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another,” (1 Thessalonians 4:9, ESV)

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,” (1 Peter 1:22, ESV)

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV)

” For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11, ESV)

“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23, ESV)

” Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7, ESV)

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11, ESV)

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12, ESV)

“And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.” (2 John 5, ESV)

The fullest confidence is available to believers in their suffering because of God’s immutable covenant promise by which He has obliged Himself to believers.

But the inspired writer, calling to remembrance the promises by which God had declared that he would make the Church the object of his special care, and particularly that remarkable article of the covenant, “I will dwell in the midst of you” (Exodus xxv. 8), and, trusting to that sacred and indissoluble bond, has no hesitation in representing all the godly languishing, though they were in a state of suffering and wretchedness, as partakers of this celestial glory in which God dwells. . . . What advantage would we derive from this eternity and immutability of God’s being, unless we had in our hearts the knowledge of him, which, produced by his gracious covenant, begets in us the confidence arising from a mutual relationship between him and us? The meaning then is, “We are like withered grass, we are decaying every moment, we are not far from death, yea rather, we are, as it were, already dwelling in the grave; but since thou, O God! hast made a covenant with us, by which thou hast promised to protect and defend thine own people, and hast brought thyself into a gracious relation to us, giving us the fullest assurance that thou wilt always dwell in the midst of us, instead of desponding, we must be of good courage; and although we may see only ground for despair if we depend upon ourselves, we ought nevertheless to lift up our minds to the heavenly throne, from which thou wilt at length stretch forth thy hand to help us.” . . . . As God continues unchangeably the same — “without variableness or shadow of turning” — nothing can hinder him from aiding us; and this he will do, because we have his word, by which he has laid himself under obligation to us, and because he has deposited with us his own memorial, which contains in it a sacred and indissoluble bond of fellowship.

There is always hope, even in the adversities of life, because “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, to confirm His covenant towards them by watching for their safety.”

– Peter Lillback, quoting Calvin in The Binding of God, pp. 270-271.

A Nauseous Nocturne

Another night deprived of slumber,
Hours passing without number,
My eye trace ’round the room. I lay

Dripping sweat and now quite certain
That tonight the final curtain
Drops upon my life’s short precious play.

From the darkness, by the closet
Comes a noise, much like a faucet
Makes: a madd’ning drip-drip-dripping sound.

It seems some ill-proportioned beast,
Anticipating me deceased,
Is drooling poison puddles on the ground..

A can of mace, a forty-five,
Is all I’d need to stay alive,
But no weapon lies within my sight.

Oh my gosh! A shadow’s creeping,
Ominous and black, it’s seeping
Slowly ‘cross a moonlit square of light!

Suddenly a floorboard creak
Anounces the bloodsucking freak
Is here to steal my future years away!
A sulf’rous smell now fills the room
Heralding my imm’nent doom!
A fang gleams in the dark and murky gray!

Oh, blood-red eyes and tentacles!
Throbbing, pulsing ventricles!
Mucus-oozing porses and frightful claws!

Worse, in terms of outright scariness,
Are the suckers multifarious
That grab and force you in its mighty jaws!
This disgusting aberration
Of nature needs no motivation
To devour helpless children in their beds.
Relishing despairing moans,
It chews kids up and sucks their bones,
And disolves inside its mouth their li’l heads!

I know this ’cause I read it not
Two hours ago and then I got
The heebie-jeebies and these awful shakes.

My parents swore upon their honor
That I was safe, and not a goner.
I guess tomorrow they’ll see their sad mistakes.

In the morning, they’ll come in
And say, “What was that awful din
We heard last night? You kept us both from sleep!”

Only then will they surmise
The gruesomeness of my demise
And see that my remains are in a heap.

Dad will look at Mom and say,
“Too bad he had to go that way.”
And Mom will look at Dad and nod assent.

Mom will add, “Still, it’s fitting,
That as he was this world quiting,
He should leave another mess before he went.”

They may not miss me first, I know.
They will miss me later, though,
And perhaps admit that they were wrong.
As memories of me grow dim,
They’ll say, “We were too strict with him.
We should have listened to him all along.”

As speedily my end approaches,
I bid a final “buenas noches”
To my best friend in the world.

Gently snoring, whiskers seeming
To sniff at smells (he must be dreaming),
He lies snuggled in the blackets curled.

HEY! WAKE UP, YOU STUPID CRETIN!
YOU GONNA SLEEP WHILE I GET EATEN?!
Suddenly the monster knows I’m not alone!

There’s an animal in bed with me!
an awful beast he did not see!
The monster never would’ve come if he had know!

The monster, in his confernation,
Demonstrates defenestration,
And runs and runs and runs and runs away.

Rid of the pest,
I now can rest,
Thanks to my best friend, who saved the day.
©1989 Bill Watterson

This poem was written and illustrated by Watterson to be included in the front of The Essential Calvin and Hobbes. The illustrations, taking up 12 full pages, are wonderful. Watterson commented on this in the Tenth Anniversary Book: “I took advantage of the oppurtunity to paint all the illustrations in watercolor, which permitted various subtleties and effects I couldn’t get into the Sunday strips.”

Calvin, né? Sempre ele! 

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Data evenimentului:

Vineri 4 decembrie 2009, orele 18 şi sâmbătă 5 decembrie 2009, ora 9,00

Titlul evenimentului:

Anul Calvin în România: Receptarea ideilor reformate ale lui Jean Calvin în spiritualitatea  evanghelică europeană

Locaţia: Centrul Areopagus, Calea Martirilor Nr. 104, Timişoara, Tel.  0256.494381, www.areopagus.ro; office@areopagus.ro,

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Pe data de 10 iulie 2009 s-au împlinit 500 de ani de la naşterea reformatorului Jean Calvin (1509-2009), născut în localitatea Noyon din Picardia sub numele de Jean Cauvin. În acest context, Centrul de Educaţie Creştină şi Cultură Contemporană Areopagus din Timişoara se alătură multelor iniţiative similare din întreaga lume, organizând în perioada  4-5 decembrie 2009 un simpozion internaţional cu tema:

Anul Calvin în România: Receptarea ideilor reformate ale lui John Calvin în spiritualitatea  evanghelică europeană

În cadrul acestui simpozion internaţional sunt invitaţi o serie de teologi care s-au aplecat asupra teologiei lui Jean Calvin din diverse perspective. Iată invitaţii şi titlurile prezentărilor care vor fi oferite la simpozion:

Dr. Anthony N. Lane este profesor de Teologie istorică şi director de cercetări istorice la London School of Theology. Cele mai multe lucrări academice au fost în domeniul istoriei creştine, în special perioada Reformei. Ultima lui carte este A Reader’s Guide to Calvin’s Institutes (2009). El va prezenta o lucrare intitulată:

“Jean Calvin ca teolog catolic: Calvin şi tradiţia catolică”.

Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher este un teolog şi filosof creştin german. Este rectorul Seminarului Martin Bucer, o şcoală teologică din Bonn, cu filiale în câteva ţări europene. Profesorul Schirrmacher conferenţiază în etică, sociologia religiei, religiile lumii şi drepturile omului în Germania, România, SUA şi India. Este autorul şi editorul a peste 70 de cărţi. El va  prezenta lucrarea:

“Redescoperirea importanţei ecumenice a operei lui Jean Calvin în ciuda secolelor de defăimare”.

Dr. Bela Visky este lector universitar în Universitatea Babes-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca, unde predă cursuri de teologie reformată. El va prezenta o lucrare intitulată:

“Cazul Servetus: o dispută nesfârşită şi implicaţiile sale teologice”.

Dr. Emil Bartoş este conferenţiar universitar la Facultatea de Teologie Baptistă din Universitatea Bucureşti. De asemenea, predă cursuri de teologie şi sociologie la Institutul Teologic Penticostal din Bucureşti şi la Facultatea de Sociologie şi Psihologie din Universitatea de Vest, Timişoara. Titlul prezentării sale este:

“Unio mystica: o comparatie intre Jean Calvin si Dumitru Staniloae asupra doctrinei despre unirea cu Cristos”.

Daniel Oprean este doctorand în teologie al Universităţii Wales, UK şi director de programe educaţionale la Centrul de Educaţie Creştină şi Cultură Contemporană Areopagus, Timişoara. El va prezenta lucrarea:

“Din viaţă la teologie: Rădăcinile şi caracteristicile teologiei slujirii la Jean Calvin”.

The Reformed Faith Weblog (TRFW) recently had the good fortune to sit down for a confab with Eric Holmberg, Founder and CEO of The Apologetics Group (TAG), where he discussed TAG’s Amazing Grace video as well as some other intriguing upcoming TAG projects.

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TRFW: This is the quincentenary year of Calvin’s birth and the great man hasn’t been this much in the news for a long time – even making Time magazine’s “10 Ideas That Are Changing the World” – speaking specifically to the theological system that bears his name. To what degree do you think your video “Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism” has contributed to this growth in popularity?

ERIC: Only God knows how these things shake out. I would like to think we played a small part. Certainly the video is selling almost as well now as it did when it was first released four years ago; over 50,000 copies and counting – which is pretty amazing for an over four-hour documentary film on “non-sexy” topics like history and theology.

TRFW: Any testimonies you would like to share?

ERIC: Sure, tons. I recently ministered on the campus of Kansas State. The church that brought me in was an independent, non-denominational charismatic church and the entire staff – around twenty people I guess – had gone through the video systematically over a period of weeks. The result was that a majority of them became convinced Calvinists and even the ones who didn’t became much more self-aware of their soteriological systems as well as some of its potential inconsistencies and were appreciative of the iron-sharpening-iron dynamic. This type of thing has happened hundreds if not thousands of times. Right now I am working on a video on open-air preaching and I am finding men that do it – from England to New Jersey (where I just got back from filming) have seen and been powerfully impacted by the video. Given the strong Arminian – even full-blown Pelegian – leanings if not out-right convictions that characterize a lot of the public preachers, this trend towards the theology as well as the practice of Whitefield and Spurgeon is wonderful.

TRFW: Tell us about the new Study Guide for “Amazing Grace.”

ERIC: The first version wasn’t as thorough as the video and didn’t adequately address some of the most common objections people had after watching the DVD. Though I have been extremely busy with new projects, re-launching our web site, and family stuff (my second grandchild is to be born any day now) I carved out at least a month of total time over the last year to both re-do and expand the guide. I am very pleased with the results and many who have gone through it agree. And in keeping with our desire to do what we can to advance the neo-Calvinist revolution – particularly in the face of the extremely sobering signs of growing apostasy in the West and potential cultural collapse – not only have we reduced the price on the DVD significantly but we have made the Study Guide free of charge.

TRFW: Any lessons learned through all these escapades that are of a more corrective nature?

ERIC: I am glad you asked. There is a trend I have seen in the Reformed world – some call it the “truly reformed” (TR) world – towards spiritual pride, reductionism and a type of neo-gnosticism. By the latter I mean a tendency to think that because we have gained a special knowledge of God and His ways as pertains salvation and the true nature of man, we are somehow special; better and more useful (and even more acceptable) to God than those poor Arminians. While I have known all manner of faithful Calvinists who are loving, humble and among the most Godly people I have ever met in the broad world of the Church in which I have been blessed to travel, I have also run into a more than a few…I’ll just call them less that way. And what is equally bad, and maybe related to this unfortunate reality, is the reductionism, the all-too-common tendency for some to reduce Calvin to his soteriology, to the famous five-points that “Amazing Grace” explores. Anyone who knows Calvin – and those that carried the torch he helped light – knows that eclipsing his view as to the fine points of the true nature of God and man and how God then saves His elect – as important as those are – was his passion for the kingdom of God, the Lordship of Christ over the nations, winning souls, conquering sin, reforming cultures and the priesthood of the individual believer and the holiness of their calling and work as a primary means by which God would cause the “knowledge of the Lord to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” In this sense, and the last few years have helped me see this clearly, Wesley was a far better Calvinist that more than a few of the TR’s I have encountered.

In that “Amazing Grace” subtly fed that reductionism by focusing on Calvin’s soteriology rather than the bigger picture, I regret that I may have contributed to this all-too-common problem. We hope to “fix” this with two follow-up projects to “Amazing Grace” that explore both “the big picture” as well as how its implementation has “rocked the world” throughout history and will no doubt rock it again.

TRFW: Sounds very interesting and exciting; I can’t wait to hear more about them. Any other new projects in the works?

ERIC: We always have a half-dozen or more ideas in varying stages of development. That’s my curse, too many ideas and too little time, hands and money. Besides the doc on the public proclamation of the Gospel I have already alluded to, Jay Rogers and I are finishing up “The Abortion Matrix: Ending Child Sacrifice and the Decline of America” that I trust will help to do just that. And Larry Tomczak and I are well into a project that will tackle another boring, non-controversial issue: homosexuality.

There are other things as well, but let me end with another Calvin project. To celebrate his quincentenary we commissioned an artist, Caleb Fairies is his name and his work is really amazing, to do a bust of Calvin. The first bronze should be cast before the end of the year. These will be signed and numbered limited edition run – probably just ten will be made – and they will cost several thousands of dollars and be a real collector’s item. But there will be a resin model that will look almost as amazing – that will come in at the “I can afford to get this for my husband/pastor/dad/Christian school” price. We did that for people like me.

TRFW: And me! Where can we learn more about this?

ERIC: Keep checking our web site. Once the bronze is done we will announce it, posting pictures as well as detailed video of the bust on YouTube.

TRFW: Thanks for your time, Eric. May God grant you a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

ERIC: And may He do the same for you. Thanks.

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Eric lives in Tennessee with his lovely wife, Ronda, and in addition to Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism, Eric has produced in the neighborhood of 30+ other Christian educational videos and documentaries.

Please visit his website – The Apologetics Group
You can also follow The Apologetics Group on The Apologetics Group Facebook Page and TheApologeticsGrp on Twitter.

Het is weer zover, Sinterklaas is weer in het land! Dat betekent weer een hoop opwinding, en blijde verwachting, zoals dat heet

Er worden driftig lijstjes gemaakt, geschreven, zelfs door Calvin, die over het algemeen niet graag de pen ter hand neemt Maar in het kader van verlanglijstjes pakt hij ook maar wat graag een pen! Ook Josha doet erg haar best om een lijstje te maken. Zij wijst aan wat ze graag wil hebben in de diverse speelgoedboekjes die we in huis hebben. En Joep schrijft het op. En ach.. hoe verrassend, als het maar roze of rood is, en natuurlijk alles dat met paarden te maken heeft,  wordt opgeschreven Echt prioriteiten stellen doet ze nog niet. Ze wil gewoon ALLES krijgen! Heerlijk zo onbevangen als ze gelooft in de Sint!

Schoentje zetten, zingen! Zo heerlijk. De jongens zingen vrolijk en hard mee. “Daar wordt aan de deur geklopt! Hard geklopt, deur kapot!”  Josha bedenkt haar eigen liedjes om te zingen, met eigen teksten en eigen melodie. Luca en ik hebben op gitaarles wat sinterklaasliedjes geleerd, en we proberen driftig mee te spelen met de nieuw geleerde accoorden, dat valt nog niet mee, maar wel leuk!

En dan de volgende dag … Wat zit er in de schoen?!? Voor Josha een doos met kralen, met lettertjes erop. Helemaal gelukkig is ze. Voor de jongens een pistooltje, die Josha nu ook vurig wenst, want dan kan ze meedoen met het schietspel. Onverwacht extra werk voor de Sint en de pieten.

Josha is heerlijk bezig met haar kralen, ze maakt oorbellen met haar naam, armbandjes voor Calvin met zijn naam, voor Luca met zijn naam, en een voor papa. Alles met een beetje hulp van mama.

En toen papa en mama van de week “naar de dokter moesten ” en Brenda kwam oppassen, hebben ze de serre mooi versiert. Kijk maar:

In het kader van de Sinterklaas was oma met Calvin naar een workshop in het dorpshuis gegaan, knutselen met marsepein. Eigenlijk zou oma met Luca gaan, maar die wilde liever naar judo toe, het viel namelijk op hetzelfde tijdstip. Calvin had wel zin om mee te gaan.

Dit is het resultaat:

Die 45. und letzte Calvin-Lesung im wunderschönen Oberndorf im engen Neckartal, schon fast im Schwarzwald. Die dortige Kirche oben am Berg neu renoviert, zwei Fahrstühle bringen die Besucher ins Gotteshaus. Calvin hätte hier vermutlich gar nicht nur über Theologie, sondern auch über die Rechtmäßigkeit von Kriegen und Gewalt gesprochen. Denn im romantischen Oberndorf hat die Firma „Heckler & Koch“ ihren Sitz und produziert Kleinwaffen, die überall auf der Welt das tun, wofür sie da sind: abschrecken und schützen,, schießen und morden. Im idyllischen Dorf ist davon aber wenig zu spüren. Besonders empfehlenswert: die Buchhandlung Altenburger mit ihrem feinen Sortiment. Ein Buch fischte ich mir aus dem Regal, das mir auf der Rückfahrt die Lachtränen in die Augen getrieben hat: „Handauflegen“ von Alan Bennett.  Darüber hätte auch Calvin gelacht: Ein Trauergottesdienst, in dem alle mit dem Verstorbenen verwickelt waren – im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. Und ein Pfarrer, der das beste aus der Situation zu machen versucht. Aber ohne Zucht und Ordnung.

My wife and I have been on a journey ever since we’ve been married. I fell in love with a charismatic while I was attending a Reformed Presbyterian church back in the United States where I lived for 35 years. I had no thought and desire at the time to ever go back to the charismatic church. Though it was something that I knew I would have to deal with theologically in light of all the historic protestant theology that I devoured over the course of almost four years earlier. So when time came around that in Singapore that we’d be looking for a church, we really didn’t know where to go. We started off going to her charismatic church right after we were married, but it never felt like a home to both of us. Theologically it was very hard for me to attend, though deep inside I agreed that the gifts of the Spirit were for the edifying of the church throughout this eschatological age. To make a long story short, we have been part of the Anglican Community for the last 1.5 years now and feel at home. We started out at one that had more modern services, but after a year we still felt that we were missing something and didn’t feel the closeness that we needed in pastoral care. So it was about 6 months ago that we heard of St. George’s and started attending. St. Goerges has a slightly modern service and then another one that follows the Book of Prayer. We love both, but I do like the the service that follows the Book of Prayer more because of the greater emphasis on the liturgy and Holy Communion is observed every week. Yes, finally a church that’s Eucharistic!

Puritanism grew out of three needs: (1) the need for biblical preaching and the teaching of sound Reformed doctrine; (2) the need for biblical, personal piety that stressed the work of the Holy Spirit in the faith and life of the believer; and (3) the need to restore biblical simplicity in liturgy, vestments, and church government, so that a well-ordered church life would promote the worship of the triune God as prescribed in His Word (The Genius of Puritanism, 11ff.).

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English: Derived from the French surname Chauvin, which was derived from chauve “bald”. The surname was borne by Jean Chauvin (1509-1564), a theologian from France who was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. His surname was Latinized as Calvinus (based on Latin calvus “bald”) and he is known as John Calvin in English. It has been used as a given name in his honour since the 19th century. (Behindthename.com)

This is Ivan Kellogg. In the world’s words, he WAS a great man. In God’s, by grace, he IS a great man. Not as the World counts greatness, but as God does.  For he never sought human accolades all the days I knew him. At least never as much as I could tell. He was my brother-in-law, youth leader (when I was young and REALLY a pain), fellow quartet member, my co-elder, and the best friend in life and ministry one could ever hope to have as a gift from God – because he would tell me the truth. Even when it really hurt.  I loved him. And I can’t wait to see him again in glory. I will miss him everyday until then.

I wrote the following for him based upon: Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – 1 Cor. 15:51

Sleep well my friend

Till Dawn breaks full on that peaceful shore

No sorrow

No pain

No glance back at sin’s effects in body, soul or mind

Except

in the full healed scars the Savior still bears.

Sleep well

Until the trumpet sounds

When all the saints of all the ages

Rise to newness of life

Rise to put on immortality

Rise to sin no more

Rise to live His life

Rise

forever more.

Sleep now

the sweet sleep of the Just.

Not unconscious of glory

but wide awake in The Presence

glorying in all

once only imagined.

Now the possession held

by unbreakable grip.

Sleep but a little while longer

Till the Daystar rises

Rejoicing in the reasons here withheld.

Awed at The Wisdom.

Broken by The Love.

Swimming in Mercy as felt

as adrift in shore-less seas.

Drowning in Grace.

Till joined by all you left.

Sleep my friend.

Sleep your well earned rest.

Then haste with Christ to come for us.

Bid Him gather us up.

Pray Him change us all.

Plead Him wed His Bride.

Be among the first to rise

that we might praise Him

together

In redemption’s endless song.

Sleep.