Posts or Comments 02 July 2009

Bible & Doctrine & Jesus & Prayer ali | 22 Jun 2009

Jesus teaches us to talk to trees and mountains.

Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

Mark 11:23

Notice what Jesus actually says here: “whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea’…” In other words, Jesus is actually telling us we can talk to inanimate objects and tell them what to do!

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Culture & Current Events ali | 17 Jun 2009

How proponents of same-sex marriage are swaying public opinion.

Before we begin, let me say I am not writing this as a warning to those who share my views on marriage. We live in a democratic society where people are expected to present their case publically with the view to sway public opinion. That is the way a democracy works. Proponents of same-sex marriage have as much a right to do this as Christians have to present their own views.

What I am doing in this post is taking the home page of the Australian Marriage Equality website and the recent article about a poll on Australian attitudes to same-sex marriage to point out how they are going about it. (And it really is quite clever). Continue Reading »

Culture & Current Events ali | 17 Jun 2009

Poll on same-sex marriage in Australia.

A recent news report says that 60% of Australians support same-sex marriage. This figure was taken from a poll conducted by Galaxy Research for Australian Marriage Equality (details of the poll are found here).

The results suprise me. I confess I wonder if the poll was taken by another group whether the results would be the same. Looking at the questions themselves, there are a couple of minor quibbles I have that I think bias the respondents toward affirming of same-sex marriage. Continue Reading »

Christians' Thoughts & Culture & Current Events & Evil & Short quotes & Social Justice ali | 12 Jun 2009

Capitalistic evil.

A handful of powerful corporations such as Cargill, Ciba Geigy, Dow, Monsanto and Zeneca dominate agricultural research today, and they also control the global seed and agricultural chemical markets…Many of the seeds developed or modified by American corporations were collected in the southern hemisphere, but no royalties are ever paid to local farmers in that hemisphere nor claimed by their governments. But when those farmers use germplasm over which American seed companies have patents, or even seek to reuse the seeds in new plantings, they are immediately accused by the U.S. government of piracy and of violating intellectual property rights.

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Christians' Thoughts ali | 11 Jun 2009

Up-bringing Kids: Training vs. Control.

Jeremy over at From Eden to Zion has a very worthwhile post for parents called, Controlling Chaos vs. Obedience Training for Young Children.

Do I need to say any more? The title gives you the gist of it.

Give it a read.

Christians' Thoughts & Culture & Current Events ali | 11 Jun 2009

Chasers War on Everything and the outrage it brings.

Ben Myers has a brilliant post on the recent outcry against a very black skit on the show “Chasers War on Everything”.

Christians' Thoughts ali | 11 Jun 2009

Imitate me.

In a typically insightful peice on hero worship and holy emulation, John Piper encourages people to reject hero worship but to instead emulate godly examples for the sake of Christ. (HT: JT) He takes that straight from the Bible: Continue Reading »

Miscellaneous ali | 11 Jun 2009

My wonderful family.

I’m very grateful for my wife and daughter and child on the way.

Families truly are a wonderful invention.

Christians' Thoughts & Culture & Gender & Gospel ali | 01 Jun 2009

How the Gospel ministers to the transgendered.

Russell Moore has written a series of short posts looking at a hypothetical situation where a transgendered person accepts the gospel and how the gospel then ministers to their sexuality.

I confess, I have wondered about this question on and off for a good number of years now, and I think Russell Moore’s response is a good one. Of course, there are people for whom this is not hypothetical which makes it all the more important.

Have a read: Continue Reading »

Short quotes & Social Justice ali | 01 Jun 2009

How abortion will be defeated.

This war will not be won by bullets. It will be won by brokenness and humility and sacrifice. It will be won when we identify with the children in our suffering rather than with the abortionist in his killing.

John Piper in his sermon Fasting for the Safety of the Little Ones.

Book Reviews & Christians' Thoughts & Culture & Prophecy & Social Justice ali | 28 May 2009

Doug Wilson Reads.

I’ve really grown in appreciation for Doug Wilson over the last few months. It all began Continue Reading »

Short quotes ali | 21 May 2009

Timothy, Patriarch of the Church of the East.

“At every stage, Timothy’s career violates everything we think we know about the history of Christianity…” To see whole quote Continue Reading »

Bible & Marriage ali | 17 May 2009

How to avoid sexual temptation - marry and make love.

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

1 Corinthians 7:1-5

My motivation for writing this piece actually comes from a recent “Taste and See Article” written by John Piper called, Sexual Intimacy and the Rights Over a Spouse’s Body in Marriage, in which Piper offers excellent pastoral advice that he mistakenly reads right into the text.

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Short quotes ali | 16 May 2009

You are what you want.

Now if you will stop here and ask yourself why you are not as pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it.

William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout & Holy Life.

Bible & Church ali | 06 May 2009

Confessions of a Home Group Leader.

I really struggle with small group Bible studies (an essential part of our Church’s weekly Home Groups), which is ironic since I was until recently “Home Group leader to the Home Group leaders” in our church. Continue Reading »

Church ali | 23 Apr 2009

Who’s your pastor?

I rarely read Pyromaniacs, but stumbled across this post by Dan Phillips. Worth reading.

HT: Challies.

Book Reviews ali | 22 Apr 2009

Convergence. The Spiritual Journey of a Charismatic Calvinist, by Sam Storms.

Sam Storms has had this book out since 2005 and, being a Charismatic Calvinist, I succumbed to a moment of weakness and bought it. Continue Reading »

Bible & Doctrine & Gospel ali | 20 Apr 2009

How far can the non-elect go? (John 15:1-17)

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series How Far Can the Non-Elect Go?

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

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