J. Vernon McGee was a Presbyterian preacher whose ministry was a staple on Christian radio for many years and continues on even after his death 21 years ago! A learned man, his folksy twang is not going to draw many bank executives or socialites to his radio program but there was something very valuable in this Lawrence Welk of Evangelicals and it is evident in the longevity of the radio ministry.
I listened in on the way to work this Sunday morning. It was a very sound sermon on the Ten Commandments in that they condemn us rather than being a blueprint for salvation. They command but they also convict in that we then realize that we need a Savior, for we have sinned, and do sin, and only the righteousness of Christ imputed to our account, through faith, and faith alone, in Him will justify us in God's eyes.
In the course of the sermon he brought up another point that I would like to mention here. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah were compared. One being very practical and the other a visionary. Reverend McGee thought it important to say that a visionary needs a little bit of the practical, and the practical one needs a little bit of the visionary. My theology is Calvinist and Reformed. I came a long way to get here. I was Pentecostal and Fundamentalist in my early days and segued into the Reformation through Evangelicalism. I have written many times in this blog on the differences between these Christian beliefs and enjoy a healthy debate on the issues involved, but I also think that I have retained and expressed a respect for those other Christian groups evidenced by my words on men such as Pat Robertson, David Wilkerson, Jerry Falwell and James Dobson.
Those who are dismissive of Theology and doctrine as if they are distractions from the love commanded of us in the Bible might consider that they too are theologians and very doctrinal in their beliefs. Their strong theology is one of weak theology and their strong doctrine is one of few doctrines. Echoing J. Vernon McGee, the Reformed, the strongest of the groups, in my opinion-obviously, needs some Fundamentalist in them, their strength being a willingness to cling to Christ in the face of all the world's intellectual arguments against God. We need some Pentecostalism in us where the euphoria of those first days of faith in Christ is seen every day in us, and we need some of the temporal, family-oriented, May God bless America zeal of the Evangelical.
There was a political rally in our nation's capitol yesterday that billed itself as non-political and sanity restoring. It was a sham event meant only to assuage the anger of the public days before an election because of a near-takeover of America by Progressives and Socialists. Christians need to be vary wary of copying this false fairness doctrine in the church. The berating of those who believe that there are distinct, discernible truths is a ploy. By attacking the search for and defense of truth as divisive the opponents of truth seek to win by default. They seek to embarrass through false piety.
There was at one time an American Creed that united a diverse populace and displayed the beauty of multiculturalism, not the deformity of multiculturalism as it is propounded today, but this Creed is under attack in political events such as yesterday's. Christians are united in something infinitely more important and that is as adopted children; redeemed through the perfect life, agonizing death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah and now long-awaited King of Kings! The fellowship of all Christians needs neither compromise nor rallies but only the shared realization that we shall all stand before Him in white someday; garments given to us even though our fallen nature would never have deemed them valuable.
http://www.thruthebible.org/
I listened in on the way to work this Sunday morning. It was a very sound sermon on the Ten Commandments in that they condemn us rather than being a blueprint for salvation. They command but they also convict in that we then realize that we need a Savior, for we have sinned, and do sin, and only the righteousness of Christ imputed to our account, through faith, and faith alone, in Him will justify us in God's eyes.
In the course of the sermon he brought up another point that I would like to mention here. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah were compared. One being very practical and the other a visionary. Reverend McGee thought it important to say that a visionary needs a little bit of the practical, and the practical one needs a little bit of the visionary. My theology is Calvinist and Reformed. I came a long way to get here. I was Pentecostal and Fundamentalist in my early days and segued into the Reformation through Evangelicalism. I have written many times in this blog on the differences between these Christian beliefs and enjoy a healthy debate on the issues involved, but I also think that I have retained and expressed a respect for those other Christian groups evidenced by my words on men such as Pat Robertson, David Wilkerson, Jerry Falwell and James Dobson.
Those who are dismissive of Theology and doctrine as if they are distractions from the love commanded of us in the Bible might consider that they too are theologians and very doctrinal in their beliefs. Their strong theology is one of weak theology and their strong doctrine is one of few doctrines. Echoing J. Vernon McGee, the Reformed, the strongest of the groups, in my opinion-obviously, needs some Fundamentalist in them, their strength being a willingness to cling to Christ in the face of all the world's intellectual arguments against God. We need some Pentecostalism in us where the euphoria of those first days of faith in Christ is seen every day in us, and we need some of the temporal, family-oriented, May God bless America zeal of the Evangelical.
There was a political rally in our nation's capitol yesterday that billed itself as non-political and sanity restoring. It was a sham event meant only to assuage the anger of the public days before an election because of a near-takeover of America by Progressives and Socialists. Christians need to be vary wary of copying this false fairness doctrine in the church. The berating of those who believe that there are distinct, discernible truths is a ploy. By attacking the search for and defense of truth as divisive the opponents of truth seek to win by default. They seek to embarrass through false piety.
There was at one time an American Creed that united a diverse populace and displayed the beauty of multiculturalism, not the deformity of multiculturalism as it is propounded today, but this Creed is under attack in political events such as yesterday's. Christians are united in something infinitely more important and that is as adopted children; redeemed through the perfect life, agonizing death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah and now long-awaited King of Kings! The fellowship of all Christians needs neither compromise nor rallies but only the shared realization that we shall all stand before Him in white someday; garments given to us even though our fallen nature would never have deemed them valuable.
http://www.thruthebible.org/
