3. Five Points of Calvinism – Effectual Calling

RL Dabney 
Effectual Calling
What is the nature and agency of the moral revolution usually called effectual calling or regeneration?
This change must be more than an outer reformation of conduct; it is an inward revolution of first principles which regulate conduct. It must go deeper than a change of purpose as to sin and godliness; it must be [...]

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Watch Your Language!

I love this stuff! Words are great fun, and, even though I don’t use them as I should, I enjoy reading about some of the foibles of English language. It was pleasant today, then, when Tim Challies shared this link on his blog. 
It’s a post that talks about words that are their own opposites. One [...]

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2. Five Points of Calvinism – Original Sin

RL Dabney 
Original Sin
What Presbyterians really mean by terms such as “Original Sin,” “Total Depravity,” and “Inability of the Will” is defined by our Confession of Faith, Chapter IX, Section iii: “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a [...]

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Tips for talking ‘race’

Great post by Thabiti Anyabwile on dealing biblically with race, that reads in part:
… folks who know me well know that “race” is the last thing I want to talk about with people. Literally, it’s the last thing… right after a number of topics I’ll label as “women’s issues.”
It’s good, it’s helpful, it’s something to [...]

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I. Five Points of Calvinism

RL Dabney 
Introduction
Historically, this title (“Calvinism”) is of little accuracy or worth; I use it to denote certain points of doctrine, because custom has made it familiar. Early in the seventeenth century the Presbyterian Church of Holland, whose doctrinal confession is the same in substance with ours, was much troubled by a species of new-school minority, [...]

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What Presbyterians Believe

WHAT Presbyterians Believe

By Rev. G. Aiken Taylor, Ph.D.
It is frequently pointed out that the word “Presbyterian” refers to the Eldership and that Presbyterianism, as such, is a form of church government. Presbyterianism is not only a form of government in the Church, but is also a well-defined system of beliefs or of doctrine. In the [...]

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Media & Worldview

I read an interesting and, speaking personally, challenging article today. The main premise was that ‘you are what you eat’, or, more precisely, ‘what you watch, read, and listen to’.
When it comes to the things we read or see or use to entertain us, it’s never “just a book” — or “just a song” or [...]

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Ahead-Behind

Al Mohler blogged today about the doctrine of penal substitution that incorporated the exact quote from “It Is Well With My Soul” that I used yesterday.
As Dr. Dever observes, “Few other doctrines go to the heart of the Christian faith like the Atonement. Congregations sing at the top of their lungs: “My sin, not in [...]

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Oh, The Bliss!

I was listening, this morning, to the Jars of Clay album, Redemption Songs. This verse arrested me and transported me out of myself, so strongly did it speak to me:
 My sin, oh the bliss
of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross,
And I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, [...]

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Punctuate A Sentance.

Michael Leddy offers helpful advice in the use of the comma, the semi-colon, and the colon.
Rule one
If your sentence begins with an introductory element, put a comma after it. Even if it’s a short element, put a comma after it. In time, you’ll be putting this comma in without having to think about it.
Read the [...]

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