Why I Love John Owen

"I think truly, that no man preaches that sermon well to others, that doth not first preach it to his own heart. He who doth not feed on, and digest, and thrive by what he prepares for his people, he may give them poison as far as he knows; for, unless he finds the power of it in his own heart, he cannot have any ground of confidence, that it will have power in the hearts of others." (John Owen, "The Duty of a Pastor").

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The 'Greatest' Theologian/Preacher/Christian Philosopher

Here's a fun little discussion for us. Who is the greatest theologian since the apostle Paul? Sounds too subjective, but here are some criteria to evaluate by: 1) Personal life - Did this person's personal character reflect his convictions effectively? 2) Breadth of Influence - How wide and long has this person's influence effected the church and the world? 3) Depth of thought - How careful, biblical, and articulate were this persons's works? My vote to come...

Does Church History Matter?

In a so called unprecedented age, where all of Christianity is re-inventing itself, and all of Christian doctrine is up for re-writing , one must ask the question "Does church history matter?" (Just to write this almost makes me cringe at how unbelievably near-sighted my generation has become!) If we say 'yes it matters' too emphatically, the response will be "Why are you Protestants then?" Didn't Luther radically depart from centuries of theological teaching. One common criticism against Luther (and the Reformation) was "Can you alone be right and the whole world be wrong?" And, when Luther talks about Sola Scriptura, isn't he saying Scripture is all that matters? A few things about Luther. First, his Sola Scriptura argument was not that Scripture is the only authority for the church, but that Scripture alone is the final authority for the church. According to Luther, there can be, indeed should be, lesser authorities, including pasto

What would you want in a New Service?

At FBC we are thinking about adding a new service, open to everyone but geared towards 20-30-40 year olds. The gospel remains the constant, but how are we to be all things to all men that by all possible means we might save some. What would you want to see happening in a worship service that would allow style to work towards gospel-centeredness rather than as a hindrance from it? Examples 1. Breaking into small group prayer, more chance for fellowship 2. Better use of technology 3. Question/answer times during or after the message 4. More cultural engagement --dealing with what's going on in the world 5. More ancient liturgy, candles, incense, better tie into history Any thoughts, lay them out.

The Lamp Post

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