The Wartburg Watch » John Piper

Passion 2012 – A Recap

deb — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:50:46 +0000

“Our heartbeat is to see the campuses of this nation awaken to God.” Louie Giglio Courtesy of NASA The Passion Movement, which held its first conference in 1997, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Passion 2012 – a three-day event – concluded yesterday and attracted around 45,000 enthusiastic attendees to the Georgia Dome. For those like me who were not familiar with this huge event, here is a brief overview as well as a recap. The Passion Conferences are restricted to those between the ages of 18 and 25. As explained in the previous post, Louie Giglio is the founder and architect of the Passion Movement. His student ministry at Baylor, which spanned a decade, prepared him well for his role in motivating college students to pursue their faith. Giglio has assembled a team of speakers, and those who joined him in speaking at Passion 2012 included John Piper, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, and Christine Caine. Music is a HUGE part of the Passion Movement, and the groups who performed included: The David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Matt Redman, Lecrae, Kristian Stanfill, Charlie Hall, and Christy Nockels. Bios for the Passion speakers and musicians are featured here. Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Fri, Jan 06 2012.

Categories: Beth Moore, Evangelism, John Piper, Louie Giglio

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Young, Restless, and Reformed (YRR) – RIP?

deb — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:56:41 +0000

“I’ve been pondering a post on this thing that’s been called Young, Restless, and Reformed. What’s good? What’s bad? What needs to be celebrated? What needs to addressed? For starters, it may be time to retire the name.” Kevin DeYoung (DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed) Jonathan Edwards (Wikipedia) I will never forget that day back in 2006 when the September issue of Christianity Today arrived in the mail. Dee called and said: “You really need to read the article on the front cover called: "Young, Restless, Reformed: Calvinism is making a comeback – and shaking up the church”. (link) As I write this post, I'm looking at that CT issue featuring a guy in a yellow t-shirt with a picture of Edwards on the front along with the words: JONATHAN EDWARDS IS MY HOMEBOY. Much has transpired in the YRR crowd since Colin Hansen wrote that article. Before we get into that, here is a little background information. In early September 2003, a friend and I went Binkley Chapel on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to hear John MacArthur address the students. He had come to our area for two reasons – to speak at Southeastern as well Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Wed, Dec 21 2011.

Categories: Acts 29, Al Mohler, Authoritarian leadership, C.J. Mahaney, Calvinism/Calvinista, John Piper, Mark Dever, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, New Reformed Theology, Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Together for the Gospel, Young, Restless and Reformed (YRR)

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Goodbye Earl – Women Taking ‘Leadership’ Seriously

deb — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:03:42 +0000

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…" Ephesians 5:25 (ESV) http://www.domesticviolencenomore.com/ John Piper, one of the foremost authorities on complementarianism, recently addressed ways in which women can lead/serve at a “Let the Nations Be Glad” seminar organized by the Desiring God ministry. Not surprisingly, he began by explaining why men, and not women, should be the leaders in their homes and the church. In a Christian Post article entitled "John Piper Explains Why Women Shouldn't Lead Men," Piper is quoted as follows: (link) “The Bible really cares about the dynamic between men and women. It has nothing to do with a woman’s incompetency. A man’s headship in the home is not based on his being superiorly competency," said Piper, the pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as he responded to the question of what’s the place of women in missions. "Men are not superior," Piper said. “She is more competent than you [men] in most ways.” He said a wife could be smarter, more read, and know her Bible better than her husband. “This has to do with God’s created dynamic of what a man is and what Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Thu, Nov 10 2011.

Categories: Abusive church tactics, Calvinism/Calvinista, Desiring God, John Piper, Patriarchy, Role of women in the church

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An Ultrasound of Abuse

deb — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:45:02 +0000

"If it's not requiring her (a wife) to sin but simply hurting her, then I think she endures verbal abuse for a season, and she endures perhaps being smacked for one night and then she seeks help from the church." John Piper Thanks to Hillary Adams, whose video has now gone viral, physical abuse is in the spotlight worldwide. Just as the ultrasound opened blind eyes to reveal that it's not a blob of tissue — it's a baby — so video cameras are shining the light into some very dark places. We suspect that with the widespread use of video cameras on cell phones, computers, etc., more evidence of physical abuse will be forthcoming via the internet for the entire world to see. Hillary's video will likely inspire a trend to document abuse, and we applaud that. For far too long our society has turned a blind eye toward domestic violence as well as child abuse. Since we are a faith watch blog, we will keep the focus of this discussion geared toward the Christianity community. Tragically, in a community of believers that should be a "light on a hill", we have a high profile pastor like John Piper Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Thu, Nov 03 2011.

Categories: John Piper, Paige Patterson

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John Piper, Al Mohler and Others Respond to 9/11 and Other Disasters

dee — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:23:09 +0000

God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain. CS Lewis Normandy I had been planning to do a followup to Eagle's post on Friday. In the meantime, Tom Rich, the intrepid editor of FBC Jax Watchdog, posted a most excellent article this weekend on 9/11 responses. Now granted, he quoted TWW, and that, in itself, makes it a superb article. However, besides Anne Graham Lotz, he also quotes Jerry Falwell and Mac Brunson. Jerry Falwell Jerry Falwell said the following, for which he later apologized. "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" Mac Brunson (FBC Jacksonville pastor) In 2008, Brunson claimed, hold onto your knickers, that the United States was hit by terrorists and then, by hurricane Katrina, because Americans did not repent after the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair! Brunson then actually speaks in the first Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Mon, Sep 12 2011.

Categories: Al Mohler, Calvinism/Calvinista, Disasters, John Piper

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Together for the Gospel (T4G) 2012: Bigger and Better?

deb — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:33:38 +0000

"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." – Lord Acton Together for the Gospel (T4G) 2012 is fast approaching, and the Fab Four are hoping for a record breaking crowd at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. If you’re wondering why C.J. Mahaney bailed out of Covenant Life Church to attend Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC), there is a strong possibility that it has everything to do with T4G. As C.J. Mahaney stated in his May 2008 message to the CHBC congregation, “And I must make at least one brief comment about Together for the Gospel. If you aren’t aware of this conference, it just took place a few weeks ago in Louisville, Kentucky. It was attended by over 5,500 primarily pastors were in attendance. This conference is really the fruit of your senior pastor’s leadership, you senior pastor’s friendship with a number of individuals.” Let’s stop right there. Do you know how the Fab Four (Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, and Mohler) became acquainted? Ligon Duncan spilled the beans on the T4G blog several years ago by explaining: “T4G is a biennial conference that grew out of a set of now Gospel friendships. Mark Dever, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney Continue reading →

Written by: deb on Wed, Aug 17 2011.

Categories: Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Calvinism/Calvinista, Conferences, John Piper, Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever, New Reformed Theology, Together for the Gospel

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Calvinists, Calvinistas and Me

dee — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:23:13 +0000

"Here’s my rule of thumb: the more responsible a person is to shape the thoughts of others about God, the less Arminianism should be tolerated. Therefore church members should not be excommunicated for this view but elders and pastors and seminary and college teachers should be expected to hold the more fully biblical view of grace. " John Piper ("Hmmm" -Dee) Salem Witch Trials-The Puritans in Charge Note: The blog format is changing and is in need of some tweaking. Please bear with us. Recently, a few concerns were raised about our seeming negativity towards Calvinism. I will admit, we are negative but not towards Calvinists. We are concerned about “Calvinistas”, a term invented on this blog. I thought a review of my thoughts on this matter might clarify my way to differentiate between these two terms. A few years ago, I had weekly meetings with a well-known Mormon leader. Early on, he challenged me to read books by Mormons, not books about Mormons. In other words, he did not want me to judge his beliefs via hearsay. I agreed. Having been a Christians for many years and understanding key Christian Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Mon, Jul 04 2011.

Categories: Calvinism/Calvinista, John Piper, New Reformed Theology, Theology

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Will There Be Soldiers of Genghis Khan in Heaven?

dee — Thu, 12 May 2011 04:54:36 +0000

"'Then instantly the pale brightness of the mist and the fiery brightness of the Lion rolled themselves together into a swirling glory and gathered themselves up and disappeared.'" CS Lewis The Horse and His Boy sunset over the sahara-NASA In CS Lewis’s final book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, called The Last Battle, Emeth, who had been a soldier of Tash, the evil Tisroc, is told to view the body of his dead leader in a stable. Unbeknownst to Emeth, this stable was a portal to the new Narnia. This was an allegory of the new earth as talked about in Revelation. The Lion is Aslan, the Christ figure. The following is Emeth’s account: LINK “By the Gods, this is a pleasant place; it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country and to seek him. [...]"  "[...] there came to meet me a great Lion [...] Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Thu, May 12 2011.

Categories: Calvinism/Calvinista, Heaven, Hell, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, New Reformed Theology

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Rob Bell, Martin Bashir and Babies in Hell…?

dee — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:55:18 +0000

"The safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." -C. S. Lewis Rob Bell at Mars Hill Link I am continuing in my schizophrenic approach to Rob Bell and the theology behind heaven and hell. Do infants who die go to hell? So, one day at a former church, I was looking for my kids in the Sunday school area and bumped into a man from my adult Sunday school class. To this day I am not sure what precipitated the following comment but, by golly, I remember it well. With a fanatical gleam in his eye, he said that infants who die go to hell. Shocked, and momentarily forgetting about my kids, I said, with great aplomb, “You have got to be kidding!” He then went on to tell me that I should be glad that I was chosen, before time, to go to heaven because God has only selected a few people to receive His grace. He also said that it glorifies God to torture people, meaning babies in this discussion, for eternity because it is a fate Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Thu, May 05 2011.

Categories: Calvinism/Calvinista, Heaven, Hell, John Piper, Martin Bashir, Rob Bell, Theology

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You Know You Might Be a Fundamentalist, a Calvinist or an Evangelical If…

dee — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:42:42 +0000

“We’ve gotten beyond the Galatian brand of legalism today. We haven’t resurrected circumcision as a requirement for salvation, and we’re clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ apart from the keeping of the law. Instead, we have developed another brand of legalism, a brand that is concerned, not with salvation, but with how we live the Christian life. I call this “evangelical legalism”… Jerry Bridges John Piper recently wrote an article entitled: 20 Reasons I Don’t Take Potshots at Fundamentalists. Link. I disagree (surprise, surprise!) with many of his suppositions which I find rather strange for a recognized Biblical scholar. Why? Many people in our society have no understanding what constitutes true Christian faith. It is far too easy for unbelievers to think they must dress like a dork and accept Jesus in order to be considered a Christian. Betcha think that I am exaggerating. Three years ago, I spent two weeks touring Alaska by ship and bus with about 40 people. I became friendly with two couples from Holland. One day, while observing whales bubble net feeding (my explanation and an awesome You Tube video can be found at the end of Continue reading →

Written by: dee on Tue, Apr 26 2011.

Categories: Calvinism/Calvinista, IFB, John Piper, Legalism, New Reformed Theology

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