Sometimes it is helpful to look to past generations for an example of godly devotion. One such example is John William Fletcher (1729-1785), whom John Wesley admired and desired to imitate. Seven months after his conversion, Fletcher penned a covenant with God which is a classic statement of Christian devotion. The covenant in its entirety is quoted by Fred Sanders in Scriptorium Daily.

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There is a new web site with the goal of mapping every location mentioned in the Bible on Google maps.  Tim Kimberley of BibleMap.org is a Th.M. student at Dallas Seminary who has taken on the task of creating this free map resource for Bible study.  The site is still in “Beta” because it is not finished yet, but it is already quite useful.  Read about his experience in an interview on  the ESV web site.  It’s great that a seminary student with a family can still find the time to create this resource and share it with us all.  Way to go, Tim!

What difference does it make whether or not the body of Jesus remained in the tomb? The way in which you answer this question reveals a lot about your understanding of the Christian faith.

To many, Christianity is a religious system that has much in common with the other religions of the world. Most of them teach that we should live for a higher purpose, treat others well, and try not to be too selfish. In that case, what really matters is that the teachings of Jesus live on. What happened to his body after his death isn’t really important.
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Lent is a time of soul-searching and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection on Good Friday and Easter. In the Western Church, Lent consists of the 40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays. Read the rest»»

I wrote this FAQ on Christian Fasting several years ago. I decided to post it on my blog now because it is related to my article on Lent.

The Christian Church has a rich history of fasting. Moses, Elijah, Esther, Nehemiah, Daniel and Paul, fasted at crucial points. Jesus both taught and modeled fasting. Godly men and women throughout the centuries have used fasting as a means to draw near to God.
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The Charismatic/Pentecostal movement is here to stay. Get used to it. Earlier this month The Pew Forum released a new study titled “Spirit and Power: A 10-country survey of Pentecostals.” The survey contained a number of interesting facts:

• At least a quarter of the world’s 2 billion Christians are Charistmatic or Pentecostal
• In five of the nations surveyed (Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Kenya and the Philippines) more than two-thirds of Protestants are either pentecostal or charismatic
• In three countries (Brazil, Guatemala and Kenya) Pentecostals and Charismatics as a percentage of the total population approaches or exceeds 50%

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No one exists in a vacuum, and everyone is dependent on others who have helped form their thinking. That’s why 9Marks has an done us a great service in their article on The Emerging Consequences of Whose Ideas? The article provides the reading list on theology from Emergent Village, considered by many to be one of the leading sites dedicated to a new, post-modern friendly version of Christianity that they call the “emergent church.” The article gives a helpful summary of the theological background of the authors of the recommended books.

The article is very enlightening, although the theological lingo might be a bit thick for some readers. A few additional comments of my own:

• I was surprised to see Hans Gadamer (Truth and Method) in the list. Following Heidegger, he steers us away from seeking for the intent of the author to discover the meaning of Scripture. His approach to interpretation is a long ways from anything that could be labeled Evangelical.
• I have not read George Lindbeck (The Nature of Doctrine), but in when I read Ancient-Future Faith by Robert Webber, I discovered that most of his theological foundation comes from Lindbeck.

It is interesting to note that two of the authors, Nancy Murphy and Miroslav Volf, teach or have taught at Fuller Seminary, which claims to be Evangelical. It is difficult to see how any of the authors of these books could be considered Evangelical according to the historic meaning of the term. Ideas have consequences, and it is important to understand the theological foundation underlying the views of those who wish to tell the church how to reach the next generation.

For an overview of Emergent theology from a solid Evangelical, see this helpful summary by Justin Taylor.

[Sighted on Between Two Worlds]