Posts by Todd Pruitt

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So now Time Magazine gives Rob Bell a cover story . Jon Meacham writes the story concerning Bell's new book Love Wins . Intense controversy has followed the release of Love Wins . Since then Bell has been on the defensive. He has been busily denying that he is a universalist which seems to...
If you have never heard the story of the turn around of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary it is fascinating and encouraging. It is also, quite simply, one of the most important events in the history of the church in the 20th century. Al Mohler, the man at the center of this historic event told...
On Sunday I continued the series God's Great Story . It was part 9 and is entitled "The Loving God." You can listen to or download it HERE . I never cease to be amazed at how God uses the sermon preparation process toward my sanctification. I had been wrestling with love all week: my lack of love...
As Good Friday approaches... The Cross of Christ by John Stott Cross Words by Paul Wells The Message of the Cross by Derek Tidball The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahey Outrageous Mercy by William Farley The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul Pierced For Our Trangressions by Jeffery, Ovey, & Sach
Apparently, the Insider Movement is a loose coalition of some who are involved in Christian outreach to Muslims. Those within the Insider Movement claim that since Muslims are offended by language that proclaims God as Father and Jesus as the Son, efforts to reach them ought to eliminate that...
Just recently I have become aware of a particular movement to make evangelism to Muslims more effective. Now, who in their right mind or heart would oppose good efforts to reach Muslims with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? But the movement to which I refer is proving to be controversial, and that, for...
Watch the messages from the 2011 Gospel Coalition HERE .
Zondervan is close to releasing a new volume by Greg Allison entitled Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine . In the introduction Dr. Allison explains the benefits of knowing the history of Christian doctrine: 1. It helps to distinguish orthodoxy from heresy. 2. It provides...
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That is how Al Mohler describes Florida pastor Terry Jones' now infamous act of Qur'an burning. Pastor Jones is not wrong to see Islam as a way that leads millions of people away from the message of the Gospel and thus to spiritual death. But he did not reach out with the Gospel message; he simply...
Not long after we moved to the Philadelphia area my wife and I began a tour of some of the small groups in our church. During one of our visits my wife was asked how she felt about being married to the pastor. Her reply was simple and insightful: "I feel like my husband has a target on his back."...
Ligonier's Table Talk Magazine has published a breif interview with Al Mohler that is worth reading. The first question deals with the historic turn around of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary which occured under the leadership of Dr. Mohler. TT: In 1993, shortly after your appointment as...
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Over at Ref21 Carl Trueman suggests serveral reasons why Protestants convert to Roman Catholicism: 1. A sense of awe and liturgical tradition in much (not all) Roman Catholic worship that is lacking in evangelical Protestantism. 2. A disillusion with the lack of ecclesiology in much of...
[vimeo 21653139 w=400 h=225] Justin Taylor Interview - Russell Moore, "Tempted and Tried" from Crossway on Vimeo . Tempted and Tried by Russell Moore HT: Justin Taylor
Helpful post over at Desiring God: Christian faith must go on being translated, must continuously enter into vernacular culture and interact with it, or it withers and fades. Islamic absolutes are fixed in a particular language, and in the conditions of a particular period of human history. The...
From Sam Storms: In a recent interview with Sally Quinn of The Washington Post, Rob Bell again muddied the waters over the question of the fate of those who’ve never heard about Jesus. In doing so he also greatly misrepresented the evangelical answer to this question. Here are his words: “If,...
[vimeo 21895447 w=400 h=225] Robbed Hell - C.A.S.T. Pearls Presents from Canon Wired on Vimeo . HT: Doug Wilson
The Daily Caller is running David Lee's review of Love Wins. Lee concludes that Rob Bell is not really saying anything new. He is simply repeating the same sort of theological liberalism of the 19th and early 20th centuries that robed the cross of its power and turned Christianity into a collection...
Church of the Saviour was privileged to have Michael Oh fill the pulpit yesterday. He preached on the Lord's Prayer. Specifically, he called attention to the fact that the way Jesus taught us to pray involves the grand purposes of God in the world. I love the way he dealt with the petitionary...
One of the great joys that a Christian can experience in the Scriptures is the discovery of the Christ-centered nature of the Old Testament. But unfortunately many Christians miss this joy because of the difficulty in finding truly great resources on interpreting the Old Testament. One of my...
Westminster Bookstore is offering 50% on a new book entitled Thriving At College . From the Publisher: Filled with wisdom and practical advice from a seasoned college professor and student mentor, Thriving at College covers the ten most common mistakes that college students make—and how to avoid...
I am finding a new book on leadership to be very helpful. It is entitled Christian Leadership Essentials and is edited by David Dockery. The contributors come primarily from the world of Christian university leadership. Dr. Dockery's opening chapter is worth the price of the book. Thus far into my...
As May 21, 2011 approaches we will certainly hear and see more warnings from Harold Camping and his followers. Camping has declared that the Bible "guarantees" May 21 this year as the day Jesus will return. The sad strange story of Harold Camping is that of a man who isolated himself from the...
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=20664317&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0 The Groaning Cosmos: Interview with Matt Chandler from Assoc. of Biblical Counselors on Vimeo ...
The messages from the 2011 Ligonier Ministries National Conference are now available: Forty Years of Proclaiming God’s Holiness interview with R.C. Sproul & Chris Larson War on the Word by Steven Lawson Why the God-Man? by Sinclair Ferguson Questions & Answers Defending the Faith by R.C...
Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed into law a state-wide ban on all abortions based on gender or race. Read the story HERE . A few thoughts: 1. It should tell us something about the "pro-choice" folks that they would find this law controversial. 2. Some of you are surprised that Americans can...
Tony Reinke suggests 16 lessons learned from the broo-ha-ha over Love Wins .
When you get a chance, take time to listen to this great message from Al Mohler.
Darrel Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary has been reviewing "Love Wins" by Rob Bell chapter by chapter. In his latest post Dr. Bock addresses Bell's assertions that Jesus taught inclusivism. Bock writes: Bell never says all are saved in this chapter, but he implies that people can embrace Jesus...
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnnVSfBlhro] Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope “Out of a Far Country is a true-life parable of saving grace for a prodigal mother and a wayward son who needed God’s forgiveness. Their story will warm the heart...
WTS Bookstore is currently offering Thriving At College for only $8.99 (40% off!). From the Publisher: Filled with wisdom and practical advice from a seasoned college professor and student mentor, Thriving at College covers the ten most common mistakes that college students make—and how to avoid...
Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has a great feature on his blog called "The Cross and the Jukebox." There he discusses religious and cultural themes found in country music. Check it out HERE .
That is the title of a message John Piper delivered at St. Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida. Listen HERE .
What is it about evangelicals that seems to crave fads? These days we seem to be into stories about people's trips to heaven (or Hell) and back. It seems like a pretty good arrangement: Someone goes to heaven for a bit, they write a book, we buy gazillions of them, we feel good, they get rich. The...
Last week Al Mohler moderated a panel discussion on Rob Bell's "Love Wins." Check it out HERE .
Michael Horton continues his review of Love Wins : For me, the greatest danger of Bell’s interpretation in this book is his view of Christ’s cross. Obviously, if there is no wrath or judgment, then whatever Christ achieved for us on the cross cannot be understood in terms of a vicarious substitute...
"Find if you can, beloved, one occasion in which Jesus inculcated doubt or bade men dwell in uncertainty. The apostles of unbelief are everywhere today, and they imagine that they are doing God service by spreading what they call “honest doubt.” This is death to all joy! Poison to all peace!... "I...
Wes Pastor (great name for a pastor!) wrote a terrific post for the Gospel Coalition. He is the founding pastor of Christ Memorial Church which is the largest baptist church in Vermont. In his post, Pastor recalls how Johnathan Edwards, himself a New England pastor, warned his congregation in...
Michael Horton continues his thorough review of Love Wins HERE and HERE . You can read parts one and two HERE .
At the risk of picking on Rob Bell I am going to post another critique of "Love Wins." It is by Greg Gilbert. Greg's focus is on just a few details that Bell gets terribly wrong. This matters because Rob Bell is a bit of a rock star and is selling gazillions of books and dvd's. Therefore when he...
"In light of what we have considered, we see that it is inaccurate to talk about free will, as though there were an autonomous thing inside of us, capable of acting in any direction, regardless of the motives of our hearts. If such a thing existed -- a creature who made choices apart from the...
“There’s nothing wrong with talking and singing about how the ‘Blood will never lose its power’ and ‘Nothing but the blood will save us.' Those are powerful metaphors. But we don’t live any longer in a culture in which people offer animal sacrifices to the gods. “People did live that way for...
Last Sunday evening I preached a message on Hell. Specifically I preached on why Jesus warned so often about Hell and the coming outpouring of God's wrath. The sermon is entitled "The Other Side of the Good News" and can be listened to or downloaded it HERE .
The other day Brian McLaren decided to point out Al Mohler's many errors in his critique of Rob Bell's Love Wins . It's the usual post-modern emergent fogginess. You know the routine. It's the, "We can't really know the Gospel so we can't really critique another person's version because it's only...
Christian Audio is offering John Piper's very helpful Jesus: The Only Way to God in audio format free of charge. Check it out HERE .
I was hoping Mike Horton would review Rob Bell's newest book. It is a thoughtful review which sets Bell's understanding of the gospel and heaven and hell in historical context. Horton also, appropriately, challenges Bell's habit of asking rhetorical questions in a way that mitigates against any...
Infants do not induce, or cooperate in, their own procreation and birth; no more can those who are “dead in trespasses and sins” prompt the quickening operation of God’s Spirit within them (see Eph. 2:1–10). Spiritual vivification is a free, and to man mysterious, exercise of divine power (John 3:8...
Chris Gordon has written a helpful article concerning Harold Camping's possible motive behind his latest prediction about Christ's return. As many of you know, Camping and his unfortunate followers are proclaiming May 21, 2011 as the return of Christ and the end of the age. In the article Gordon...