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Archive for October, 2010

Reformation Sunday 2010!

Posted in Christianity, Martin Luther, Reformation, Reformed, Theology on October 31, 2010| 1 Comment »

493 Years Ago today, the beginning of the Reformation began with Martin Luther’s 95 Theses and climaxed to a pivotal point several years later (see below)

(Ht: Christopher Neiswonger)

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2010: Meanest campaign ever? In perspective

Posted in california election, Christian, Evangelicals, John Frame, Perspectivalism, Theonomy on October 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I think the discussion about 2010 as the “meanest” campaign season distracts us from the real issue

As Christians, personality and ad hominem shouldn’t be what drives us to vote, the principles should be front and centered in our decision

Don’t forget our post on California’s Christian voter’s guide resources here, if you haven’t looked at it already.  Tell others about it.

I like this Youtube clip from Justin Taylor’s blog: It puts things into historical perspective when people say the campaign now is the “meanest” ever

Remember there was a time in American history when politicians who disagreed with each other express their “meaness” by shooting each other at an appointed time, just ask the guy who shot Alexander Hamilton (and then went on to try to jump start a new country afterwards!)

I thought the campaign for the sixteenth president was even more mean than the election of 1800: It contributed to the fuel of an already divided America into the Civil War.  I mean, one candidate even became the president of the succeeding states!

I also think of the election of 1828, with Andrew Jackson charge that John Quincy Adam was a spoiled rich Aristocrat since he was the son of John Adams (incidentally, the only American presidents that were father and son in US History).  One should try reading Jackson’s speech.

Then there was the midterm campaign of 1866, similar to our midterm election right now of 2010.  Those who claim this is the meanest campaign ever should read what Andrew Johnson’s speeches were like throughout the country–they might reveal why Johnson was so hated by the Democrats, would later go on to impeach this guy.  His well known hostile campaign and angry speech costs his party votes.

I could go further, but I think we have to be careful of the talking heads and hosts of the Secular media.  Often times, they don’t know their history, and they don’t know their Constitution.  Short dogmatic soundbytes don’t substitute for truth or principles.

I also want to encourage readers of Veritas Domain who are into apologetics and politics consider the implication of Frame’s perspectivalism here: If Scripture provides the “Norm” in political philosophy, history is an important situational aspect of knowledge of the political realm.  We must situate our political philosophy in light of our understanding of political development.  And that means knowing history.  Which means our opponent can mock that I’m a presuppositionalists, but I’m going to make darn sure that I will shame them with my handle on history as well when it comes down to correcting their false political history/development.

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Resources: Erik Wait’s Introduction to Van Tillian Apologetics

Posted in christian apologetics, Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen, Presuppositional Apologetics, presuppositionalism, Reformed, Van Til on October 28, 2010| 6 Comments »

This is an important caveat by Erik Wait

This work was written in 2002 and was originally put together for my own use and was not intended to be published or posted on my web site. Essentially it is a synthesis of my notes from Greg Bahnsen’s audio lecture series “A Seminary Course on Apologetics,” his posthumously published works Van Til’s Apologetic and his shorter introduction to Apologetics Always Ready, John Frame’s books Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought and Apologetics to the Glory of God as well as own original work. In editing this project I have also reworded some phrases in order to make them easier to understand as well as added dates and clarifying statements. Consequently, the reader should not think what follows is necessarily a direct quotation of Bahnsen’s lectures.

Here it is for your enjoyment!

An Introduction to Cornelius Van Til’s Presuppositional Apologetics
Chapter 1- The Historical and Biblical Concept of Apologetics
Chapter 2 – Apologetic’s Relationship to Other Fields of Theology
Chapter 3 – Apologetics and Epistemology
Chapter 4 – History of Apologetics: from the Second Century to the Present
Chapter 5 – Biblical Guidance For Apologetics: Revelational Epistemology
Chapter 6 – The Lordship of Christ in the Realm of Knowledge
Chapter 7 – The Foolishness of Unbelief and the Two Step Apologetical Process
Chapter 8 – Worldviews in Collision
Chapter 9 – One Must Believe in Order To Understand
Chapter 10 – Acts 17 “The Encounter OF Jerusalem With Athens”
Chapter 11 – Antithesis and Self Attestation of Scripture
Chapter 12 – Worldview Issues
Chapter 13 – Epistemological Issues: Knowledge
Chapter 14 – Kuyper and Warfield
Chapter 15 – Evidence and Evidentialism
Chapter 16- Answering John Frame’s Critique of Presuppositionalism
Chapter 17 – Answering Macro-Evolution
Chapter 18 – Answering Islam
Footnotes for Introduction To Van Tilian Apologetics

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Early Veteran’s Day thought on Politics and Society

Posted in do ask do tell then go to the cell, jim moran, Military on October 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Veteran’s Day is still some days away, but I had to post some thought as a Veteran myself (the other two blogger on Vertiasdomain have also served in the military as well) about our larger political and social climate today

The election is coming and as always this season is a time the American people (some) wake up from political slumber to vote

A thing I have noted from recent discussion is the amazing disconnect of our society and especially in the political realm from the reality of the fact that America has been in war for nine years now.  It seems that for the majority of America, the only cultural artifact that there is even a war currently going on appears in the form of popular video games, which our current conflict serve as good foils for kids’ shooting games.

There has always been something disturbing to me about a government comprising of leaders who are ignorant and lack of respect for the military and the men and women who are the ones who execute their policy.  I’m not talking about one particular event, but it has been a trend in recent time where many of our generation’s leaders when they were military age were busy trying to fight the draft instead of fighting in the military.  A consequence of that era seem to produce a generation of current political leaders who devalue the men and women who serve in the military and not understanding what they are asking these men and women to do. And I wonder about the larger implication of this cultural divide and the direction of this country.

What follows are some markers of the political scene and it’s disconnect with the men and women who serve.

1.) The Way We Treat Our Troops – NYTimes.com – While not agreeing with everything he has to say, he makes a sobering opening about what our society celebrates and the disconnect with our society with the war, and whom we pay attention to as a cultural heroes.

2.)  Retired Chief of Staff General Hugh Shelton’s new autobiography reveals how a member of the Clinton administration suggested letting a U-2 spy get shot down in a plan for America to attack Saddam Hussein.  Talking about seeing a service member’s life as a pawn!

3.) Apparently, for one politician name Jim Moran, being an Army officer who served in Iraq and the Balkans peacekeeping operation is not “public service” and just a job that collects a pay check.

Apparently from reading more of this guy, he thinks PTAs, Rotary club and volunteering in the community is public service, but not…the military? And this guy has the nerve not to say sorry but defend himself!

4.) In the eyes of one Berkeley city council members, marines are for those young people who have no oppourtunity

Dude, these Code Pink people protests Marine recruiting stations like it’s an abortion clinic–ironic, since abortion services must be protected at all costs because it’s someone’s “choice”, but the military…no, it kills others.

5.) John Kerry tells students how to avoid going to Iraq

Kerry preached this at a school I went to, did well at in all my classes and moved on, along the way serving a tour in Iraq.

6.) Behind the whole political gambit against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is the idea that the military needs to be equal, and it needs “diversity”.  I don’t know if the military should be seen as an institution for social and political pet project experimentation.  Especially, when there’s a more urgent concern on our plate– there is a war that has been going on for nine years and we are losing it!  The thought of experimenting with tempting open homosexuals as a member in an all-male Marine infantry battalion don’t thrill me–and I’ve seen in Iraq what a closet homosexual can do when the temptation is fling daily to him with Marines in close quarters and lack of privacy.  Something tells me that problems are going to happen when we put men (that’s attracted to women) in women showers, yet some of our political elites don’t think of the implication of putting someone in close quarters with those whom they are physically attracted to…instead, they make it their pet project crafted in the guise of “free speech” (Never mind the fact that some of these are the very ones who disapprove of the Great General Mattis speech about killing certain people.  The marines was invented for that purpose you know!).

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John MacArthur’s “Making a Case for the Bible” audio sermon series

Posted in bibliology, Christianity, Grace to You, John MacArthur, Uncategorized on October 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Over at Grace to You.

Part I: Assorted Attacks on the Bible
PART II: Why We Believe the Bible is True
PART III: Why We Believe While Others Reject
PART IV: The Bible Is God’s Word
PART V: The Doctrine of Inspiration Explained

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America Works for China in 2030 AD

Posted in America, China, Politics, tagged , , , , , , on October 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

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Dr. Barrick’s Sunday School Lessons on all of Psalms!

Posted in Bible, Christianity, old testament scholarship, Psalms, The Master's Seminary, Theology, William Barrick on October 22, 2010| 3 Comments »

Dr. Barrick, Professor of Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary and contributor to the upcoming Genesis volume of the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary is an example of Godly scholarship, diligence, wisdom and Christian holiness for anyone who knows him

His diligence always encourage me.

He has on his website his entire Sunday School lessons on PDF for the entire Psalms (all one hundred and fifty!)

They are available for your edification below!

BOOK I
BOOK II
BOOK III
BOOK IV
BOOK V

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