Think Wink.

I would wear this T-shirt:

And this T-Shirt:

And if I collected action figures:

Yeah, Kinda Sad

Transformers: The Movie

May Is Looking Exciting AGAIN!

Christian Apologist James White talks about an encounter he had this past weekend with a Jehovah’s Witness elder. This 30 minute video shares some good ideas on what to do when they knock on the door–namely showing that Jesus is Yahweh/Jehovah from the Bible, even their own translation (New World Translation, NWT).

I AM HE

G# and Witnessing to JWs

Luke 10:21-22 and Joy

The past two Sunday’s have seen two incredible sermons at my church here in KC. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I really appreciated what was said about Hebrews 11:3 in the second sermon concerning the question of the origin of the universe.

Redemptive-Historical Preaching and Charles Dennison

Morning Workout: Dr. Meredith Kline

My Favorite Sermon

This Friday I will probably pick up Captain America #48, the comic being my fictional get away. As part of the Marvel 75th anniversary, certain comic books are getting their original numbering. Earlier this year, Thor went to #600 instead of #13(?) (it is the 13th issue of the current run which started at #1 but this is the #600 of the Thor title). Captain America is one book that gets its original numbering back. This June Cap will be #600 instead of #51. Comic artist genius Alex Ross, noted for his Kingdom Come and The Marvels as well as helped design Bucky’s Cap costume, was asked to draw a variant cover with Steve Epting’s regular cover. I must say, both covers are gorgeous artwork. But Ross’ work would have gone better with Captain America #34 than #600. Since I haven’t read #600 I can’t be too certain of such a statement. Here is the 50/50 cover of this milestone issue. Oh and congrats to Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Luke Ross and company for 50 wonderful issues of Captain America–comic writers and artists don’t stay with a book like that, not to mention keeping it as good as it is for all published 47 issues

Alex Ross cover

It Ends Here!

The New Captain America

Captain America vs. Captain America???

I can’t believe that the NCAA did this! This is genius!

Okay, may be the video is just hilarious and that’s why I like it.

And by the way, Oklahoma should not be a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year considering they lost both the regular season title, as well as the Big 12 Tournament. At least Memphis was the best team according to record in the C-USA, despite it being a very weak conference (may be I shouldn’t be too hard on Memphis considering they were 4-2 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI…well their strength of schedule was like 47 or 49). I think Mizzou or even…ugh…KU should get a #2 and be in KC, MO.

Timothy and Esther’s Prayer

Dr. Mohler and the Future of the SBC

My Comfort in Romans 9

Michael Bird gives the following quote from F.F. Bruce’s commentary on Hebrews and the epistle’s warnings:

The reason why there is no point in laying the foundation over again is now stated: apostasy is irremediable. Once more our author emphasizes that continuance is the test of reality. In these verses he is not questioning the perseverance of the saints; we might say that rather he is insisting that those who persevere are the true saints. But in fact he is stating a practical truth that has verified itself repeatedly in the experience of the church. Those who have shared the covenant privileges of the people of God, and then deliberately renounce them, are the most difficult persons of all to reclaim for the faith. It is indeed impossible to reclaim them, says our author. We know, of course, that nothing of this sort is ultimately impossible for the grace of God, but as a matter of human experience the reclamation of such people is, practically speaking, impossible. People are frequently immunized against a disease with a mild form of it, or with a related but milder disease. And in the spiritual realm experience suggests that it is possible to be “immunized” against Christianity by being innoculated with something which, for the time being, looks so like the real thing that it is generally mistaken for it. This is not a question of those who are attached in a formal way to the profession of true religion without having experienced its power; it is blessedly possible for such people to have an experience of God’s grace which changes what was once a matter of formal attachment into a matter of inward reality. It is a question of people who see clearly where the truth lies, and perhaps for a period to conform to it, but then, for one reason or another, renounce it

Michael Bird on Hebrews 5:11-6:12

Lectures on Hebrews

Hebrews in 5 minutes…and Mormon Apologetics

Michael Bird at Euangelion blogs about the warning passages in Hebrews 5:11-6:12, warning Christians that they can fall away from Christ and never be restored to repentance again. I like what he has to say about it, it isn’t too different from what my pastor had said when he preached on those passages late last year and earlier this year. Here is the paragraph that really gets to Bird’s main point and I couldn’t agree more,

In the end, I don’t like the bumper sticker theological slogan: “Once Saved, Always Saved” precisely because it can give a false sense of assurance to people who should not have it. A better stock standard phrase might be once saved, always saved, if saved! Overall, addressed to the community, the warning passages in Hebrews 5.11-6.12 teach: (1) That God’s grace should be recieved but not presumed upon, (2) Genuine assurance is available to those who genuinely profess faith in Christ, (3) Those who fall away cannot be brought back, (4) the future element of salvation in Hebrews (see David deSilva on this) means that we should speak of eschatological security, rooted in God’s faithfulness, rather than eternal security.

He then cites a powerful illustration from John Piper. This blog post is a good read and I highly recommend you do so.

Evangelical Training

Unpublished Commentaries

Adam/Christ and Pauline Theology

Okay now that I have seen the movie and had some time to ponder it, I want to give a review of the film.

First off, I felt like the movie did a good job of sticking to the graphic novel. When I got home last night, I pulled out my copy of Watchmen and read through it again. It was faithful to the feel of the book, right down to the lines. I really want to thank the filmakers and cast for doing such a good job of getting to the heart of the book in this regard. The look and style of the book was in the movie. I really did feel like reading the book again.

This movie definitely needed the rating it got. The action beats in the film could be over the top (i.e. the ally fight with Night Owl II and Silk Spectre II with the gang. The sex in the movie was too much if I were to be asked. There is sticking with the source material and then there is what was seen in the movie.

My roommate’s response was that of amazement for just how bizarre the movie was. Granted it was an apocalyptic scenario of nuclear war breaking out between the US and the USSR when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan back in the 1980’s. But then there is Dr. Manhattan (think of Superman only with the ability to manipulate matter) and his detachment to humanity and his role in the conclusion of the movie. There was the Comedian and why he is actually called the Comedian. I warned him that this movie was going to make the Joker from The Dark Knight look sane and even that didn’t repare him for what he saw.

Now here is what I liked most about the movie: the over all unifying theme. In the movie our world was five minutes from destroying itself from nuclear war. In the film we are in a perpetual state of crisis and war. There is no peace. And to really amplify this bleak picture of humanity there is one scene involving the Comedian and Night Owl II. There is a riot and these two heroes come in to stop it. When the mob turns on the heroes, Comedian moves in for some crown control. When confronted by Night Owl, the comedian tells him that he’s just living the American dream, doing whatever he wants. The bleak world that they live in is what follows from living the American dream. It’s one sick joke because the “American Dream” was supposed to better the world and instead it had only made it worse!

But the blam is not on anyone but humans for the world they live in. They have created it. They made it. From within their black hearts a black world, set to destroy itself, has appeared. This graphic novel and movie understand something very fundamental, something is wrong and the problem isn’t found outside of man, it is inside of him. Human beings are wrong, fundamentally and internally. Dare I say it is something ontological. Dr. Manhattan was supposed to guarantee the US’s national security but only put them in greater danger from the Soviets.

The solution posed in the movie by one of the characters recognizes the problem but doesn’t fix it. The answer is only temporary at best. It doesn’t allow for the flaw in human nature. If Everyone can get anything they want why fight and destroy each other? Cuz human nature is corrupt! The comedian saw this and it made him laugh.

But this film really illustrates that something is wrong with humanity. It points to that great reality of sin. We are sinful creatures, fallen and depraved. We are children of wrath, following “the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind” (Ephesians 2:3 NET). There must be a change internal, not external. This is where the movie fails to see the answer. Human nature is flawed, the movie does admit. But it still thinks that something flawed can remove the flaw. Yet that effort will be a flawed effort! Something outside of human nature must remove that flaw. That something is the grace of God purchased for us on the cross in the death of this Son! Only in being united to Jesus will that flawed nature be killed and we be raised to new spiritual life. Only in Christ can humanity fin a new heart and receive a new Spirit that causes our obedience and replace that sick heart of stone with sin etched in it. A leopard cannot change its sports, unless the leopard ceases being a leopard and becomes something else.

The Watchmen Movie

Watching Watchmen Lightheartedly

Reviewing Spider-Man 3

Over at the Alpha and Omega Ministries website, James White posts this video that has really helped me to lighten up as I prepare to see Watchmen on the big screen. I mean, I know people think Calvinism is just plain wrong and silly. But the gentleman this video just really takes this to a whole new level…like out of the realm of making sense. The God described in the London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689 and the Westminster Confession of Faith (this guy quotes a Methodist document but I don’t remember it) is like the stoic understanding of Zeus! Wow!

Hope this makes you laugh as much as it made me laugh!

The Watchmen Movie

It’s Very Familar

July 4th and Optimus Prime

Here is a link to the second trailer to this years Star Trek reboot by J. J. Abrams

Here is a link to the second trailer to Christian Bale’s Terminator: Salvation

The Reformed Reader has an informative and enjoyable post on the Hebrew term rib, specifically as it appears in Exodus 17.

Enjoy!

Augustine

Eschatology and Antichrist

Justification