tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.comments2022-01-25T14:51:21.345-08:00Reformed ReaderPudgyboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14114604641391683996noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-31131302771886106732022-01-25T14:51:21.345-08:002022-01-25T14:51:21.345-08:00 easily distinguished from the one who persuaded t... easily distinguished from the one who persuaded them once I began to ask for their account of what happened.<br />Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11308992169354124015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-50146323378522215092018-02-05T22:38:38.559-08:002018-02-05T22:38:38.559-08:00Mr. Wallace writes an interesting book comparing m...Mr. Wallace writes an interesting book comparing murder mysteries with the alleged resurrection of Jesus, but his arguments fall flat.<br /><br />Mr. Wallace in chapter two: More recently, some skeptics have offered the theory that one or two of the disciples had a vision of the risen Christ and then convinced the others that these spiritual sighting were legitimate. They argue that additional sightings simply came as a response to the intense influence of the first visions.<br /><br />Skeptic: Now we are getting somewhere! This is what I believe and what many skeptical scholars believe probably gave rise to the early Christian Resurrection belief.<br /><br />Mr. Wallace: This fails to explain the empty tomb and offers an explanation of the resurrection observations that is inconsistent with the biblical record. <br /><br />Skeptic: Maybe there was no empty tomb; a significant number of scholars doubt its historicity; and, Mr. Wallace is assuming that the detailed appearance stories in the Gospels are accurate historical facts…the very issue that is in question!<br /><br />Mr. Wallace: It is unusual to have a persuasive witness influence the beliefs of other eyewitnesses. I’ve investigated a number of murders in which one emphatic witness has persuaded others that something occurred, even though the other witnesses weren’t even present to see the event for themselves. But these persuaded witnesses were easily distinguished from the one who persuaded them once I began to ask for their account of what happened.<br /><br />Skeptic: Wow! Mr. Wallace has just stated that this naturalistic explanation is not only plausible but he has given evidence that he has experienced this very phenomenon himself when dealing with witnesses in his police investigations! It is possible to influence the testimony of others that they have seen something…even if they weren’t even present at the scene!!!<br /><br />Mr. Wallace has just proven the skeptic's case: When people are involved in emotionally-charged situations, such as a murder or the sudden, unexpected, violent death of a friend, their perceptions and memories can be greatly affected. If the apostle Peter, for instance, had a vivid dream (or trance) in which he believed that Jesus had appeared to him in the flesh, talked to him, and even touched him, the very persuasive Peter may well have been able to convince his emotionally exhausted, despondent fellow disciples into believing that their beloved leader and friend was alive again…just as Mr. Wallace’s “emphatic” witness was able to persuade “persuadable” witnesses to see something that they had never seen!!!Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519721717265344702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-14612313191474342542015-02-19T11:32:23.715-08:002015-02-19T11:32:23.715-08:001. The Bible is not inerrant. It contains many, ...1. The Bible is not inerrant. It contains many, many errors, contradictions, and deliberate alterations and additions by the scribes who copied it. The originals are lost, therefore we have no idea what "God" originally" said. Yes, its true---Christians can give "harmonizations" for every alleged error and contradiction, but so can the Muslims for errors in the Koran, and Mormons for errors in the Book of Mormon. One can harmonize anything if you allow for the supernatural.<br /><br /> 2. How do we know that the New Testament is the Word of God? Did Jesus leave us a list of inspired books? Did the Apostles? Paul? The answer is, no. The books of the New Testament were added to the canon over several hundred years. Second Peter was not officially accepted into the canon until almost the FIFTH century! So why do all Christians accept every book of the New Testament as the word of God and reject every non-canonical "gospel"? Answer: the ancient (catholic) Church voted these books into your Bible. Period. <br /><br /> There is nowhere in the OT or the NT where God gives men the authority to determine what is and what is not his Word. If Second Peter was really God's Word, the entire Church should have known so in the first century.<br /><br /> 3. Who wrote the Gospels? We have NO idea! The belief that they were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is based on hearsay and assumptions---catholic tradition. Protestants denounce most of the traditions of the Catholic Church but have retained two of the most blatant, evidence-lacking traditions which have no basis in historical fact or in the Bible: the canon of the NT and the authorship of the Gospels.<br /><br /> The only shred of evidence that Christians use to support the traditional authorship of the Gospels is one brief statement by a guy named Papias in 130 AD that someone told him that John Mark had written a gospel. That's it! Papias did not even identify this "gospel". Yet in 180 AD, Irenaeus, a bishop in FRANCE, declares to the world that the apostles Matthew and John and the associates of Peter and Paul---Mark and Luke---wrote the Gospels. But Irenaeus gives ZERO evidence for his assignment of authorship to these four books. It is well known to historians that it was a common practice at that time for anonymously written books to be ascribed to famous people to give them more authority. For all we know, this is what Irenaeus did in the case of the Gospels. <br /><br /> The foundation of the Christian Faith is the bodily resurrection of Jesus. If the story of the Resurrection comes from four anonymous books, three of which borrow heavily from the first, often word for word, how do we know that the unheard of, fantastically supernatural story of the re-animation of a first century dead man, actually happened??<br /><br /> Maybe the first book written, "Mark", was written for the same purpose that most books were written in that time period---for the benefit of one wealthy benefactor, and maybe it was written simply as an historical novel, like Homer's Iliad; not meant to be 100% factual in every detail, but a mix of true historical events as a background, with a real messiah pretender in Palestine, Jesus, but with myth and fiction added to embellish the story and help sell the book! We just do not know for what purpose these books were written!<br /><br />I slowly came to realize that there is zero verifiable evidence for the Resurrection, and, the Bible is not a reliable document. After four months of desperate attempts to save my faith, I came to the sad conclusion that my faith was based on an ancient superstition; a superstition not based on lies, but based on the sincere but false beliefs of uneducated, superstitious, first century peasants.<br /><br />You can pray to ask Jesus into your heart 10,000 times, but if there is no evidence for his Resurrection, then odds are that he is dead. And if he is dead, he can't hear your prayers. Sad, but the truth.Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519721717265344702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-76025546725832508872013-11-29T17:20:29.348-08:002013-11-29T17:20:29.348-08:00Hey Brother, this is Chad Williams. Can you please...Hey Brother, this is Chad Williams. Can you please contact me back at contact@streetapologetics.com <br /><br />Thank you! Chad Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13167409120670350435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-35521664900203534402013-09-03T21:36:45.942-07:002013-09-03T21:36:45.942-07:00Is someone else's Salvation dependent on YOU?
...Is someone else's Salvation dependent on YOU?<br /><br /> One of the biggest criticisms of the Lutheran (and Calvinist) position on the Predestination of the Elect is that it removes the motivation to spread the Gospel/to do missionary work. "If God has already chosen who will be saved, why bother spending your time preaching the Gospel to sinners? God will take care of it, I don't need to worry about it."<br /><br /> It is true that Lutherans believe that God has already chosen those who will be saved (but they do NOT believe that God has predestined anyone to hell, regardless of what some people believe Luther may have said at one point in his life). It is also true that we Lutherans believe that sinners do not have a free will to choose God. So no matter how hard we try to convince sinners of their need for a Savior, if God has not predestined them for salvation, they will NOT believe, they will not be saved.<br /><br /> The advocates of Free Will Theology say that a sinner IS capable of choosing God. Therefore, it is our job as Christians to witness to every human being with whom we come into contact in our daily lives, because our efforts may be the trigger for them to "accept" Christ." These Christians base their belief on the passage of Scripture that states, "for whom he did foreknow, those he did predestine...". They take this to mean that God's predestination is based on God foreknowing that at some point in the future, that a particular person would make a free will decision to believe in Christ.<br /><br /> Lutherans and Calvinists say that this is impossible since Romans chapter 3 tells us that no one seeks God. Making a decision for God is "seeking" God, and therefore an impossibility according to God's Word.<br /><br /> But are we Lutherans and the Calvinists really off the hook when it comes to sharing the Gospel? It is true, we absolutely should be out preaching the Gospel to our neighbors simply because Christ commands us to do it, but, really, what are the consequences of our disobedience on this one issue? A slap on the wrist when we get to heaven, but no direct consequences for the "un-elect" person to whom we failed to share the Good News?<br /><br /> Lutherans state that we do not know what criteria God used to choose/predestine those whom he will save. But I would like to propose this idea: Yes, it is true that a particular person's election is not dependent on HIS decision to believe since Romans chapter three states that this is impossible. But...is it possible that this person's election is dependent on God foreknowing that YOU would obey his command to go out into the world and preach the Gospel, and in particular, he foresaw that YOU would share the Gospel with this individual, and based on YOU being faithful/obedient and sharing the Good News with that person, God chose/elected that person to be saved??<br /><br /> To believe this would certainly increase our motivation as Lutherans to share the Gospel instead of sitting at home enjoying the blessings of salvation all to ourselves. (Maybe we should share this idea with our Calvinist Christian brothers and sisters to light the "evangelism fire" underneath their behinds also.)<br /><br /> Gary<br /> Luther, Baptists, and Evangelicals Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519721717265344702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-41868417492995552962013-07-24T08:07:25.293-07:002013-07-24T08:07:25.293-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.
...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-59912707121473019672013-07-17T09:33:04.494-07:002013-07-17T09:33:04.494-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.
...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-24692678362895689622013-07-03T15:13:52.199-07:002013-07-03T15:13:52.199-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour. ...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour. It's refreshing to finally see a commentary on the book of Revelation that's accessible for both the academic and non-academic.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />EP Books BlogShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-91245707232757796282013-06-19T09:50:58.760-07:002013-06-19T09:50:58.760-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to The Ascension b...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to The Ascension blog tour. My favorite line from your review is, "For a short book, Ascension is a gem." Thanks for making it easy for me to find something highly quotable in your review! ;-)<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Christian Focus Booknotes BlogShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-23931593858243417842013-05-27T13:42:33.256-07:002013-05-27T13:42:33.256-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.
...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-32688355163233885062013-05-01T14:52:39.864-07:002013-05-01T14:52:39.864-07:00Great review Roger. Always a pleasure to have you ...Great review Roger. Always a pleasure to have you in our blog tours! ;-)<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-60757129917863543142013-04-24T07:56:28.802-07:002013-04-24T07:56:28.802-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.
...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-79279286946933482612013-04-16T06:56:27.738-07:002013-04-16T06:56:27.738-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.
...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-81166254469602372392013-04-02T12:08:13.133-07:002013-04-02T12:08:13.133-07:00Roger,
Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.
...Roger,<br /><br />Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-67204554226986684202013-03-25T09:17:58.616-07:002013-03-25T09:17:58.616-07:00Roger,
Great review! Thanks for contributing to t...Roger,<br /><br />Great review! Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-24773340449248115502013-03-20T16:53:50.662-07:002013-03-20T16:53:50.662-07:00If we lived a faith without all that intellect, we...If we lived a faith without all that intellect, we would not even have a Bible. The Bible you hold in your hands was translated by some of the smartest men in the world. They had to know language, history, etymology, etc. God's math is the same as ours. He created MATH. 2+2=4. We only learn the laws he created. He created the world in 6 days. He counts the same way we do. Science has to use the laws God created. God is greater than science, not below it. Our intellect is puny compared to God's, why would he tell us not to strive ofter the knowledge He has. He tells us we are to renew our minds. Not think like the rest of the world. We are to be smarter. Wise as serpents and harmless as doves - as Jesus put it.<br /><br />The reason the bible says God's wisdom is foolishness to man is because God has so much more intellect that our puny finite mind can not comprehend his knowledge. The cross is the most genius thing ever thought of. Man could have never thought up such a wonderful plan. It is a legal contract. God takes my punishment and gives me His righteousness. Is that not the smartest idea you have ever heard of?<br /><br />The unbelievers I run into will not consider coming to the Lord because someone has gold dust on their hands, barks like a dog, or sees a 30 foot Jesus. They saw that stuff when they were taking drugs. They want something real. Something true. Paul said he would only preach Christ and Him crucified. that is the truth that changes lives. A miracle of healing or wealth is temporal and will end when the body dies, but the Gospel is eternal. It leads to a new body that will live forever in the presence of God.Pudgyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14114604641391683996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-65550930099901043492013-03-20T16:53:28.250-07:002013-03-20T16:53:28.250-07:00I did not write this review to denigrate anyone. I...I did not write this review to denigrate anyone. I am a Charismatic Calvinist myself. I believe in miracles, the gifts, and all that comes with them. I have seen and experienced miracles before and believe God performs them today. I have read Jack Deere's(he wrote the forward to this book)book a number of times and love arguing in favor the gifts of the spirit. My problem comes when people get so far out there that the gifts are seen as weird or goofy. God is not foolish. Look at the earth. He created every atom. We should be showing the world the Majesty of God, not making everyone in a grocery store uncomfortable because we start praying in tongues while buying a loaf of bread.<br /><br />The question is why does God do a miracle today? Is it to get someone saved? He rebuked Thomas because he would not believe without seeing. Does God do miracles to prove He exists. Satan tempted Jesus to jump off the cliff to prove he was God. <br /><br />Jesus rebuked the people for wanting to see a miracle. He said he would only give them the sign of Jonah. Three days in the grave - the resurrection. God does miracles because He wants to. He does use our prayers, but we do not cause the miracle. It is His choice. Miracles should always take second place to the Gospel. If not, we are going to have a lot of healthy people, but they will all be in hell.<br /><br />Jesus never said miracles would be the norm. He did say that signs would follow believers, not believers follow signs. That tells me, I shouldn't follow after them, just pray and let them happen when it is God's will. <br /><br />In fact, that scripture about signs is at the end of Mark. None of the earliest Greek manuscripts contain it at all. Read any study Bible and you will see brackets around it with an explanation. Also most people leave our the handling snakes part.<br /><br />When you say Jesus wanted miracles to be the norm, Norm means the normal part of life. That is the opposite of what the word miracle means. A miracle, by definition, means something that overrides the normal laws of nature. If I override the law of gravity. I fly. That is a miracle. If flying becomes the norm, then standing on solid ground would be the miracle. If miracles are the norm, then when some one gets sick, that would be the miracle, not being healed (remember healing is the norm).<br /><br />Also you mentioned that the problem with the church today is that the faith is over-intellectualized. I am not sure what Christians you hang around, but my whole life that has never been a problem. For the last 30 years the church as a whole has been anti-intellectual. They say - We should be FOOLS for God. The Church prides itself on not using it's intellect. They have sold their birthright for a bowl of porridge.<br /><br />The best thing God has accomplished on earth was through the intellect HE gave the Church. If it wasn't for the intellect of the Church in the past, we would have no hospitals, colleges, schools, vaccines, etc. Everything good in our society was invented by those who have used the intellect God gave them for good. I would rather have a doctor with an intellect doing my surgery than a guy who can not spell his own name, but loves the Lord. That is a given. The apostle Paul was one of the smartest men that ever lived. He "reasoned" with the unbeliever. Adam was smart enough to name every animal. Jesus stumped the teachers when he was 12. He had some of the greatest intellectual arguments with the Pharisees. He outSMARTED them. He said, do you not KNOW the scriptures? God gave us brains for a "reason"(pun intended). He expects us to use it to worship Him and spread the Gospel. Worship in spirit and TRUTH. He calls us to love God with our "mind" We can't even drive to church without using our intellect to navigate the road.<br /><br /><br /><br />Pudgyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14114604641391683996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-45590336461790580302013-03-20T05:42:39.442-07:002013-03-20T05:42:39.442-07:00I have not read the book, so I can't comment o...I have not read the book, so I can't comment on the review specifically, but I did watch an interview with Chad about his experience that brought him to where he is and led to the writing of the book. I guess you could say that, while I'm not actually a doctor, I play one on TV. :-)<br /><br />Having been raised in a Baptist church, I, like Chad, read the Bible and have observed that something is deeply missing from our modern church. Jesus said that WE WOULD perform miracles in His name and experience great signs and wonders. Do we? Why wouldn't we seek them as the norm if Jesus said we would experience them as the norm? I'm not saying that it's a 24/7 kind of thing; but weekly? Maybe. Monthly? Maybe. Annually? Maybe. That's up to God to decide when and how often. The thing is that we, in the modern age, don't experience them at all, because we don't REALLY believe it's true. As a result, the church has become nearly completely ineffective when it comes to displaying the love and power of Christ. We have so over-intellectualized our faith that it's no longer faith, but an equation. Unfortunately, our math doesn't work like God's math and, while we both come to the same answer; Jesus, OUR equation leaves us with only a picture of Jesus. GOD'S equation leaves us with the PERSON of Jesus. It's time that we get a little less intellectual with our theology. There was nothing intellectual about the early church, but the entire world came to hear about Christ. In our day, the exact opposite is happening and even millions of those within the church are leaving each year. It's time we take a serious look at why this is happening. That's just my two cents.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08526128777356628739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-19750034249480389572013-03-13T15:05:02.182-07:002013-03-13T15:05:02.182-07:00I really enjoyed the book. Keep writing. It is def...I really enjoyed the book. Keep writing. It is definitely part of your calling.<br /><br />As far as "how our personal autonomy works within the sovereignty of God", I see it as no different than understanding the Trinity. I know that God is one in essence and three in persons. My finite mind can not comprehend it, but I know it isn't a contradiction. Same thing with Gods sovereignty. I know I make choices but I also know He is sovereign. My finite mind can not comprehend it, but I know it isn't a contradiction.Pudgyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14114604641391683996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-51494169484711135172013-03-13T05:40:34.343-07:002013-03-13T05:40:34.343-07:00Roger,
I am particularly gratified that as a refo...Roger,<br /><br />I am particularly gratified that as a reformed guy you liked the book. I really love the whole reformed world, and I am very close to it anyway. There are some points where I am unsure about it when it comes to how our personal autonomy works within the sovereignty of God, and I want to keep the freedom to think deeply and honestly and straight about these things, but I consider my reformed brothers and sisters as great friends and allies in Christ. Thank you for seeing that! I really don't want everyone to see completely eye to eye with me on everything. I'm glad you enjoyed my analogies!<br /><br />Jim McNeelyJim McNeelyhttp://thereforenow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-38700128773552405092013-03-11T13:01:26.592-07:002013-03-11T13:01:26.592-07:00Roger,
Here's my favorite line from your revi...Roger,<br /><br />Here's my favorite line from your review: "Wow, what great analogies! It sounds almost like a modern day Bunyan." Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-82668197704174048392013-03-06T13:54:56.445-08:002013-03-06T13:54:56.445-08:00Roger,
I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Thanks ...Roger,<br /><br />I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-78266388603142514922013-02-25T07:46:33.178-08:002013-02-25T07:46:33.178-08:00Great review Roger! Thanks for contributing to the...Great review Roger! Thanks for contributing to the blog tour.<br /><br />Shaun Tabatt<br />Cross Focused ReviewsShaun Tabatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632777725443926426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-54137754877564917352013-02-18T16:36:28.603-08:002013-02-18T16:36:28.603-08:00I am a 5-point Reformed Baptist myself. I am Refor...I am a 5-point Reformed Baptist myself. I am Reformed, but not every book I read is reformed - as you can see from earlier posts on my blog. The teaching in this particular book does not go against the reformed teaching of salvation. He did not delve into regeneration "before" or "after" faith, predestination, the extent of the atonement, etc. If he had, I would have stated my disagreement with any divergence.<br /><br />I would consider Mark Dever as a great Reformed Baptist and here is what he said about this book:<br /><br />“A sensitive conscience can be a curse from Satan or a blessing<br />from God. Does your conscience drive you from God, or to Him? In<br />this book, J.D. Greear gets the gospel right. And the gospel is the way<br />from conviction to salvation. This book should help you know how<br />to place your conscience in the Lord’s hands, where it can be a tool<br />greatly used by God, as it was in Augustine’s life, or Martin Luther’s.”<br />—Dr. Mark Dever, pastor<br />and author of 9 Marks of the Healthy Church<br /><br />Joshua Harris is also reformed (Sovereign Grace Ministries) and he said this:<br /><br />“Outstanding! This is a truly useful book. It’s readable, engaging<br />and packed with scriptural insight. It not only gives hope to<br />Christians struggling with assurance of salvation, it will equip any<br />Christian to better share the gospel and guide others toward genuine<br />repentance and faith in Jesus.”<br />—Joshua Harris, pastor and author of Humble Orthodoxy<br /><br />I could have added a couple others but both of these men are Reformed and have had conferences with Sproul, C.J. Mahaney, Ligon Duncan, etc.<br /><br />Even so, I believe there are some good things we can gleam from others we disagree with. I read apologetic books from those who are not reformed, and the same goes with books on creationism. I read John MacArthur and agree with him on salvation but not Dispensationalism. I read R.C. Sproul, but disagree with him on Baptism. <br /><br />I rated this book according to the content that I read in the book itself. This is no reflection on anything he might of said elsewhere. I honestly let the book stand or fall on it's own merits and did not look him up to see where he stood on other issues. He admitted that people think he sounds Calvinist and in this book he does. After seeing a handful of Reformed preachers extolling the book, I assumed he was. Nothing in the book lead me to believe otherwise.<br /><br />I apologize if I lead anyone to believe that this is a book written about the 5 points. I think many non-Calvinists borrow from the reformed faith when they refer to the substitutionary atonement or Jesus paying the price for our sin. His view of assurance fits with a few Reformed books I have read from Gerstner, Sproul and others.<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. I am glad to see someone who is fervent for the Faith!Pudgyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14114604641391683996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401958137058604799.post-66844765380287741212013-02-18T14:41:01.184-08:002013-02-18T14:41:01.184-08:00Your blog is ostensibly a place where Reformed boo...Your blog is ostensibly a place where Reformed books are reviewed. Where did you get the idea that J.D. Greear is Reformed or that this book is a work extolling Reformed doctrine? I would point you to Greear's own words when asked about Calvinism, here:--<br />http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2012/10/pastor-j-d-are-you-a-calvinist.html<br />He does a skillful job dodging a true answer. He is clearly NOT an unabashed Reformed teacher. He concludes with this statement: "The strange thing is, the more people I share Christ with, the more people seem to keep getting elected" which is either meant as a tongue-in-cheek type joke OR he believes in corporate election OR he simply doesn't understand Reformed theology. Either way I'm uncomfortable with him at this point.Rotolo Mediahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08390322561205510706noreply@blogger.com