Latest Articles on Guard the Deposit
Denarii and Denial of Self
Last semester, I wrote a paper for my biblical hermeneutics class that analyzed Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the vineyard laborers. Many people (notably Craig Blomberg, who wrote The New American Commentary on Matthew) understand the parable as teaching that there...
Without Rival
Jesus brooks no rivals. There have been, there are, many religious leaders. In an age of postmodern sensibilities and a deep cultural commitment to philosophical pluralism, it is desperately easy to relativize Jesus in countless ways. But there is only one Person of...
A Better Country
An excerpt from my homework: Prudence: And what is it that makes you so desirous to go to Mount Zion? Christian: Why, there I hope to see him alive, that did hang dead on the Cross; and there I hope to be rid of all those things, that to this day are in me, an...
Let us keep the feast!
Because I now believe in baptizing infants, I have begun the process of finding a new church home in Birmingham. Yesterday morning, I visited a wonderful PCA church, where, for the most part, I was very pleased. We sang quality hymns; we affirmed the historic faith by...
Outward Sign, Inward Reality – Part Two
The more I reflected about my , my mind went to this verse, spoken by John the Baptist: "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He...
Outward Sign, Inward Reality
During my , I grew fairly cynical about the definition that I had always heard of baptism while I was growing up: "Baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality." Of course, this definition was meant, in part,...
Why I’m Now a Paedobaptist
I have been a committed Reformed Baptist for almost a year now--I wrote about the reasoning that brought me to that position on January 3, 2006. In my post, I had written the following: First, you should know that I am approaching...
Change in Cash
There is an interesting comparison here on the ways in which the new posthumous Johnny Cash music video for "God's Gonna Cut You Down" differs dramatically from the music video that Cash himself made for "Hurt." The author argues that, while the video for "Hurt"...
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
I watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose yesterday, and I was very impressed with how the movie handled the issues of demons, scientific naturalism, and Catholicism. Certainly, I had some exceptions to the specific theology behind the exorcism (namely, the belief that...
Bethlehem Baptist Update
Awhile ago, about how Bethlehem Baptist (John Piper's church) was considering dropping their requirement of being believer-baptized for becoming a member of the church. Apparently, that proposal has now been withdrawn. Here is a...
A Little Spurgeon for your Day
These were the first words C.H. Spurgeon preached at the newly-constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle on March 18, 1861: I would propose that the subject of the ministry in this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by...
Purpose Driven Preaching (Or, the Purpose of Preaching)
Keith Ghormley writes: People don't remember sermons. I think that's not as bad as it sounds....But the sermon is not just a delivery of content and theology. It is about the obedience of faith. As I listen, I'm not supposed be tucking the knowledge bits into my brain...